Icicle
by KathDMD
Summary: Now that Wade and Lotor have joined ranks, they're eager to conquer Voltron and the Alliance. They start by capturing Keith's sister, which sets off an eye-opening and sometimes painful chain of events in the Forces' lives. K/A, Sven/Romelle/Hawkins/OCs & more.
1. Happy

_Author's Note__: I do not own Voltron or any of its characters, properties, etc. Nor do I own any products, locations, or placements used in this story. I only own the characters I've created, and that's it. Also, I do this only for fun and stress relief purposes and make no money off it._

_I appreciate all of my readers, old and new alike, as we embark on the sequel to "Someone Like You." If you know the first book, fabulous; if not, well, you'll catch on quickly, and you can always ask me questions. I'm here to help. Reviews and feedback are always welcome and encouraged; I do my best work when I'm under scrutiny._

_Let's get this party started._

_**Title Song: "Happy" by Leona Lewis**_

* * *

It was sometime in the dark hours of the early morning. Judging by the stars, Sven guessed it was around 0200 hours. "Come on, little man, let's go," he said patiently, lifting Erik out of the crib. The boy had been fussing for the past twenty minutes, and it became clear that he wouldn't be going back to sleep on his own. Sven had then gotten out of bed, prepared the bottle of formula, and taken his son out on the balcony for an early-morning feeding. He'd set up two rocking chairs out there so he could do his two favorite things on Pollux: spend time with his son and watch the stars.

He couldn't lie; his life hadn't been wonderful since he left Arus seven months ago. Pretending to be happily married to Romelle after the ultimatum she'd forced on him was maddening. On the bright side, he was pleased that he'd be on hand for Bandor's wedding in a few days, serving as his best man.

"There you go, little man," Sven said to his son as he fed him the bottle, using Nanny's nickname for him. "Eat up." True, Erik was old enough to eat solid foods now, but in the middle of the night, he just wanted his bottle. He wanted _comfort_. Sven couldn't say that he blamed him.

They'd had a small one-year birthday party for Erik, just the five of them. Bandor's fiancée, Princess Emma, had baked the cake, a damp one-tiered chocolate cake with a single layer of buttercream frosting which she claimed she baked every year for her siblings' birthdays on Planet Exxus. It reminded him of the Guinness cake Lenora used to bake for their floor during their final year at the Academy.

Gazing up at the stars, he thought about his _elskede_. He missed her. Really and truly, he missed her. Those few hours they'd spent together on Arus brought him more joy than all of the years he'd spent with Romelle. Now she was married to another man - the proof was in the pictures - and he was back with his wife.

"Oh! I didn't realize you were out here."

Sven turned his head in the direction of the voice. Emma stood on the balcony with him, dressed in her nightgown and matching robe. "Emma. Come on over."

"If I'm interrupting, I'll leave."

"Nonsense. Sit down." Sven motioned to the rocking chair beside him. Emma hesitantly sat down, looking over at Erik as she did.

"He's so cute," she said after a long pause. "And soon he'll be my nephew."

"Right on both counts." He was glad to have Emma there - he was so tired of being lonely. "How have you been adjusting to life on Pollux, Princess? Are you ready to be married to Bandor?"

She shrugged. "So far, so good. And I'm as ready as I'll ever be," she replied pleasantly, gazing over at Erik as he was starting to drift off. The bottle was still in his mouth. "Gods, I just adore him." She leaned over to gently touch the top of his head.

He turned his head to look over at her. Slate-blue eyes met navy, wide and hopeful. "Sven, you know I would take care of Erik if anything happened to you and Romelle. I would watch over him and make sure he was raised well."

"I know you would, Emma."

They were quiet for a moment, the only sound being Erik's sleeping breaths. "I went to the doctor with Romelle yesterday," she said quietly, staring up at the stars. "He thinks that her depression is lifting, and he reduced the dosage of her medication." She shrugged. "Though I can't figure out why she'd still be depressed. She and Erik are bonding quite well, it's like she never missed out on the first five months of his life."

It was Sven's turn to look back up at the stars. He wanted to tell Emma everything about why he had changed so much since Crydor and Arus. Why he was different. Why their marriage was different. How his Haggarium infection was being held at a standstill, lurking like a virus just waiting to re-infect him.

And _then _there was that night with Lenora. That was the night that had single-handedly changed everything. Knowing that she was still alive made him yearn, especially on nights when Romelle was so distant and cold towards him, for his days at the Academy.

He would never get those days back.

Exhaling, Emma lifted her head, and for a moment the two of them studied the night sky. "Bandor told me that you used to be a navigator. The best in the Alliance."

"One of the best, yes." He thought about Morgan, and how competing with her had forced him to hone his own navigational skills. "I enjoy reading the stars."

"I can tell." She turned her head to look over at Erik, now happily asleep while his father was wide awake. "Sven, I know something's not right here. Tell me, what is it that you really, truly want out of life?"

His eyes didn't leave the night sky. "I just want to be happy, Princess."

* * *

When Jeff walked past Morgan Feld Rackens in the kitchen on the way to the refrigerator, clad only in a pair of boxer shorts that she swore were holdovers from their Academy days, she nearly smacked him with her frying pan.

"Dude! What was that for?" Jeff cried out as he jumped out of the way to avoid the pan.

"_That," _she replied testily, "was for keeping me awake half the night with your grunts and your moans and your - seven hells, will your poor girlfriend even be able to _walk _this morning?"

Jeff leaned against the granite-topped kitchen island with a satisfied smirk on his face. "Maybe, maybe not."

She shot him a dirty look.

"Hey, what did you expect? The Explorer just docked last night. I haven't seen anybody except the commander and the Vehicle Team in ten weeks." He paused to look down at the floor. "I bet Commander Hawkins is gonna catch seven hells from _his _wife about going over the allotted eight-week exploration cycle."

Morgan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he's probably in the doghouse for that. When I talked to Len yesterday, she said she was ticked off about him overriding her orders."

"Hmm. Lucky for me, _my _significant other was happy to see me, instead of ticked off." He opened the refrigerator door and pulled out two bottles of water. "Okay, I'm going back to bed now."

"Jeffrey Aki!" Morgan shrieked. "You leave that poor girl alone, will you? She needs to be able to walk!"

"Hey, if she asks for it, who am I to say no?" Hurriedly, he ducked out of the kitchen and darted back up the stairs before Morgan could throw any more kitchen utensils at him. It was a good thing that he and Morgan had been friends for so long and had been through so much together over the years. Otherwise he might think she was really trying to kill him.

As he entered his bedroom with the two bottles of water and locked the door behind him, he heard her stir in the bed. "Jeff?" she called out quietly. "Get back in bed. I missed you."

"I missed you too, Chris."

After having been away for ten weeks, Jeff would have been very happy to just watch Christiane Kogane while she slept. He really had missed her. With every fiber in his being, he missed her. They had been romantically involved for almost nine months now, though they had been friends for much longer. It still wasn't right, in his mind, that he was dating Keith's sister. Friends weren't supposed to date their best friend's sister. Friends weren't supposed to kiss or stroke or close the deal with their best friend's sister, either.

Some best friend Jeff was turning out to be.

As he moved back into bed, he gazed at her form. Christiane was beyond beautiful with her creamy skin and those blue-black ripples splayed across her bare back. She looked up at him with sparkling turquoise eyes as he pulled the comforter back over his body. "Snuggle with me," she requested, and he obliged.

As he held his girlfriend in his arms, he had an overwhelming feeling to ask her a question. The big question.

"Hey Chris, I want to ask you something."

Being a seer, Christiane braced herself. She knew what Jeff wanted to ask. He wanted to ask her to marry him. It was obvious, even if one _wasn't _a seer. She couldn't let him do it.

It wasn't that she didn't want to marry Jeff. She did. He was The One. She knew it, and she sensed that he knew it, too. But she didn't want him to propose to her just yet. First, she didn't want some off-the-cuff proposal that took no thought or preparation. And second, right now, she was happy just as they were. She didn't need anything more.

When she was eight and her brother Keith was twelve, her parents died. She was too young to understand what really happened, but what she _did _know was that she and her brother were orphaned, separated, and placed into the care of the state. Christiane was shuffled between foster homes and foster parents, some good, some definitely _not _good. She had no contact with her brother; it wasn't allowed. When she turned sixteen, she filed for legal emancipation, and with nowhere else to go, she enrolled herself in the Space Academy.

The rest of the story was harder to bear. Once enrolled in the Academy, she frantically searched for Keith, somehow knowing that he would be there. And when she found him...

When she finally found her brother, he was like a different person. Darker. Sadder. Very bitter. And as he looked at her, disapproval thick in his aquamarine eyes, it was as though he couldn't stand the sight of her.

She knew from her visions that it wasn't that he hated her or didn't want to see her, it was just that he _couldn't_. Looking at her reminded him of the too many horrors he'd seen in his lifetime, the too many crushed dreams and future aspirations washed away, and so he just couldn't. He was emotionally stunted and suffered from too many intimacy issues.

Which was why Christiane did not want to get married any time soon. Being with Jeff was like a dream come true. It was the happy ending she deserved. And living under the same roof with David and Morgan Rackens? She knew that they were their friends' den parents, but they were truly like her surrogate parents as well. She loved them, and she didn't want to cut the apron strings just yet.

She drew in a deep breath. "Jeff, I love you, but I don't want to get married yet."

He drew a sharp breath, and a shocked expression settled onto his face. _Duh. She's a seer. Of course she would know what you were about to ask, Dummy. _Trying to backtrack - which he knew would look completely foolish in her eyes - he mumbled, "What, marriage? No way, Chris. Not yet, anyways. I, uh, just wanted to ask you if you'd like to move out of here and get a place of our own. You know, just the two of us living together."

Gently, she placed her hand on Jeff's bare chest and her lips on his. "Don't rush it, Jeff," she said sweetly. "I love you, I will always love you, and I'm not going anywhere. I'm happy, really and truly happy, and I just want to enjoy everything the way it is for just a little while longer."

Nestling herself into his arms, she drifted off into a blissful sleep. Jeff gazed down at her as she slept, thinking that he would just have to be patient and wait until she was ready. After all, she would be his forever. It wasn't like she was going anywhere.

* * *

When Commander Jonathan Hawkins woke up, completely undressed, he knew he was in trouble. He was curled up in bed next to his wife. His wife who was anything _but _completely undressed. Last night, he couldn't tempt her, he couldn't entice her, he couldn't convince her to forgive him. Nothing worked. So he gave up and fell asleep.

She was still sleeping, wearing her black Lululemon yoga pants and sea-blue tank top, with a long-sleeved mesh pullover with arms so long that there were actual thumbholes in the seams, and fuzzy socks on her feet. She slept on her shoulder, with her back and chestnut ponytail to him.

She was angry, and rightfully so.

He pulled her in towards him and kissed her awake. "Lenora, don't be angry," he said soothingly. "I love you, and I've missed you."

Her chocolate-brown eyes shot open, dark and annoyed. "You know I love you, Jon, but what you did - overriding my command for an eight-week exploration time frame - does not make me happy."

Hence the reason she wouldn't make love to him last night.

They had been married for six months, and the Explorer had been on two missions in that time. With the first mission, the ship and Vehicle Team returned to New York and docked after the allotted eight weeks. Afterwards, Lenora had greeted him at home with Veuve Clicquot champagne and the black Love Slip from Agent Provocateur. He'd barely made it through the front door before she attacked him with kisses.

Last night, though, dressed in complete uniform, it was Space Marshal Stensson who greeted them at the hangar, scowling. Captain Richard Newley shot the commander a sympathetic glance as he watched the ire dance around in the Space Marshal's eyes. "Good luck, my friend," he whispered, clapping Jon on the shoulder. "_I _sure wouldn't want to be going home with her. She looks ticked off."

She certainly was.

"Lenora, I'm sorry that I disobeyed orders and went two weeks longer than we should have," he said carefully, positioning his body over hers. "You have to understand, though, that eight weeks is not much time for us to explore the outer rings of our solar system. Sometimes it will take us eight weeks just to get out there."

"I understand that." Her voice was hard and unerring. "However, I _also_ understand, Commander Hawkins, that you are a newlywed, with a wife who loves you very much, hates to see you go, and has only spent two months of her married life with you." Her upper lip quivered for a moment before she continued. "In addition, every time you disobey your wife's orders, you make her look like a fool in front of the entire Galaxy Alliance. And if the Space Marshal looks like a fool, then what strength can there be in the Alliance?"

He nodded. "You're right, of course." He collapsed his full weight on top of her and kissed her passionately. This time, at least, she didn't struggle or try to push him away; she accepted his mouth eagerly. "I'm sorry, Lenora. I really am. It's easy to lose track of time in space."

"I know." She blinked back tears. "But I've _missed _you, Jon. I only wish you knew how much I've missed you. Remember how you'd have to leave me in Boston, or Paris, or Vegas when I was in hiding? Remember all of the pain and sadness we'd feel when we were separated?" She wrapped her arms around his neck. "God, Jon, that was _nothing _compared to this."

He pulled her upright and grabbed the pullover from over her head. "I'm sorry, my darling. I am so sorry. So very sorry." He lost himself in the feel of her lips, the feel of her curves underneath his fingers as he slowly undressed her. "I am so sorry for putting you through that. I swear to you, I won't do it again."

Once she was as undressed as he was, he lost himself inside of her as well.

* * *

Sharing a bed with Allura. Black coffee. Perimeter scan.

Life was good.

Keith stood in front of the screen at Castle Control, sipping his mug of black coffee and going through the images for the perimeter scan, one area at a time. The shot of the balcony was becoming his favorite. He found himself feeling unexpectedly happy every time he caught Larmina practicing yoga out there in the early morning, disciplining herself into a fine warrior. It reminded him of his old Academy friend, Lenora Stensson. Every time he thought of Lenora, he thought about how she had helped him create the relationship he now had with Allura, and he was pleased.

Larmina was becoming more and more like Lenora. The way she carried herself, the way she disciplined herself was very much like what Lenora had done for herself when she was the same age. Allura, not knowing the Space Marshal the way her boyfriend did, was simply pleased at how well-rounded and responsible her niece was becoming. But Keith - as well as Lance, Pidge, and Hunk - could see the change in the cadet, the way she was honing her body and her skills into something greater, making herself into something better than anyone believed she could be.

"Larmina looks good out there. Too bad she's underage."

Keith sipped his coffee. "Lance! Get your mind out of the gutter."

Lance looked amused. "Captain Crankypants, how many times do I have to remind you that my mind took up permanent residence in the gutter?" He paused to sip his own coffee. "But all kidding aside, she's completely blowing past Vince and Danny-boy in terms of maturity and development. It's like, once she met the Space Marshal, she aspired to be something greater than a cadet."

"That's exactly what it is." The screen changed from Larmina on the balcony to the quiet solitude of the gardens. They watched it, neither one of them saying a word. The only sound heard in Castle Control was the slurping of coffee.

"So the three of you are going to Pollux tomorrow for Bandor's wedding?"

Keith nodded. "Yeah. For three days. Good thing Pollux isn't too far out from Arus. If we're needed, we can make it back soon enough."

Lance shrugged. "True. But do you really expect Lotor and company to attack? It's been almost eight months since we've heard anything from the Drules. It's getting kinda boring around here."

"Boring is good."

"Only to an extent."

Keith sighed. Lance was never going to learn. He was always going to be the hot-headed, heavy-drinking, action-craving, female-companion-loving guy he'd been at the Space Academy. And now that Keith was finally happy - and finally satisfied with how his life was turning out - he wondered if he'd really want it any other way.


	2. Not Over You

_Author's Note__: I own nothing except my characters._

_So...I'm finally back on vacation for FIVE glorious days. Expect these updates to come rolling out. _

_To everyone who was hating on Aidan at the end of "Someone Like You" - I think he's finally starting to redeem himself. That's my boy. ;)_

_To Craze - Glad to have you! Hope you enjoy. And be careful; as some of my readers can attest to, I can do (and have done) some very not-so-nice things with these characters..._

_To Sally On - Have you noticed that Lance gets all the great one-liners? Gosh, but he's fun to play with, and I mean that in EVERY sense of the word._

_To Emie Mac - HOORAY! A book starring your boy Jeff! I'm glad you thought it was worth the wait. I am totally and completely enjoying this book already. And since I'm on vacation, watch for the first few updates to be coming in succession._

_To Wade Wells - Girl, it's good to BE back! I missed you too! You wanted to know Keith's backstory, so I'm throwing it out at ya. In pieces, of course. SPOILER ALERT: No characters are to be killed in the making of this book._

_**Title Song: "Not Over You" by Gavin DeGraw**_

* * *

Maahox hated to admit it, but he was growing rather fond of the Sky Marshal. That was a bad thing, considering that his lord was King Lotor. But the problem with Lotor was that he was...sigh. There were not enough adjectives to correctly describe the king's temperament.

He was impatient, that was for certain. Careless. Thoughtless. Belligerent. Tempestuous. Narrow-minded. Short-sighted. Maahox couldn't imagine if he _didn't _like the Drule king. What words would come to mind to describe him then?

Sky Marshal Wade was different. He was disciplined and careful. Every facet of every plan was properly thought out and mapped out. He had the patience of a man with enough experience to know better. He was waiting for the perfect time to execute his game plan.

And what an ingenious game plan it was.

"This is the most recent surveillance of the girl," Wade informed Maahox, Lotor, and Cossack as they conspired at the table in the recently-named Strategy Room. Though Castle Doom was not yet finished in construction, the Sky Marshal had insisted that they designate a Strategy Room. Other generals or marshals might call it a War Room - and he was sure that Lotor would, too - but the Alliance was still too deeply ingrained in him to resort to that title.

Lotor's eyes narrowed at the holographic image; the vision did not displease him. "She is _striking_."

No one could disagree with Lotor's assessment. The female's pale, creamy skin served as a backdrop for luscious pink lips and vibrant turquoise eyes. Her long hair fell in blue-black waves down to her mid-back. Her lithe, toned body was dressed in her red-and-white Albegas flight suit.

Wade nodded with practical detachment. "This is Technical Sargeant Christiane Kogane of the Galaxy Alliance's Albegas Team. She rides in the Red Mecha with Taye Benton."

"So that explains how to take down Albegas," Lotor muttered. "But what about the two Voltrons? How is she intrinsically tied to them?"

Pleased with himself, Wade flashed a triumphant smile at the Drule king. "Ah, King Lotor, this is why I told you that all of my intelligence would come in handy. Tech Sargeant Kogane is romantically linked to Jeffrey Aki, the captain of the Voltron Vehicle Team."

"And what about the lions?" Lotor had a one-track mind when it came to Arus, Princess Allura, and those blasted lions that he could not seem to conquer. "How is she linked to _them_?"

If Maahox could roll his one eye, he would. He could not believe that King Lotor was missing that one vital piece of information. For someone who was as determined to overthrow Voltron as he was, he did not know much about the team members who made up the giant robot. He waited patiently for the Sky Marshal to inform Lotor of the girl's link to the lions.

Shaking his head, Wade replied, "She is the younger sister of Keith Kogane, captain of your Voltron Force."

"Ah." Lotor nodded. "I thought she looked familiar. Now that I know that she's Keith's sister, the resemblance _is _quite remarkable."

"As I said before," Wade stated ominously, "she is the key. If you destroy her, you destroy all three teams."

"So you're going to_ destroy _her? As in _kill_ her?" Cossack asked, incredulous at the very thought. Not that the general wasn't accustomed to battle and killing. But to kill one girl outright? He didn't think he'd be able to do it. Perhaps Lotor or Maahox could, but Cossack was sure that he couldn't.

"If it comes down to it." Wade didn't flinch.

Cossack shook his head. "I won't do it."

"Nobody asked you to do it, General," Lotor shot out, irritated. "Personally, I wouldn't want to see her killed. She would make an excellent addition to my harem. I think," he continued, excitement growing and gleaming in his eyes, "that if this girl were made to be my plaything, it would destroy our enemies' spirits that much better."

Maahox and Wade exchanged a glance, and the occult scientist sighed.

* * *

The first wedding guest had arrived, and Sven was the only person on hand to greet him. Everyone else was too busy with last-minute preparations. Not that he minded, of course. It was his obligation as royal consort. And as a member of the Voltron Force, he always felt that it was his duty to be the first line of defense for his planet.

Not that he ever felt like Pollux was home. It wasn't - and never would be - New York.

When the ship's hatch opened, a familiar-looking prince stepped out. Sven vaguely recognized the man's auburn hair and olive-green eyes. He couldn't place him from anywhere, despite recognizing him. And the prince looked back at him with the same expression.

He extended his hand to the prince. "Welcome to Pollux, your highness. I am Sargeant Sven Holgersson."

The prince looked at him curiously for a moment, then burst out laughing as he finally recognized him. "Well met, Sven Holgersson. Officially, anyway." He shook Sven's hand. "I am Prince Erimar of Planet Tyvel. A childhood friend of Princess Allura's." He paused to let the information sink in. "And if I remember correctly, _you _were the man who swept the lady in the backless dress off her feet at Allie's ball."

Sven felt his skin burning up in horror. "I'm sorry, you must be mistaken," he offered politely. So what if he was lying? "I am the royal consort of Princess Romelle."

"Ah. One in the same. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." He gave a conspiratorial wink. "I do remember Romy being quite the tempest, coming to Arus the morning after the ball to claim you and your child."

Romy? Did he just call Romelle _Romy_? Sven wasn't quite sure what to make of Prince Erimar, but he didn't think he was a bad guy. He just didn't know _what_ think to think about him yet.

"This way, Prince Erimar. Let me show you to your room."

Castle Pollux was as large as it was beautiful, with enough bedrooms to accommodate even a thousand guests. The walk to Erimar's guest room was long, and Sven appointed a task force to ensure that the prince's trunk made it to his room in a timely manner. When they were on the elevator and safely out of earshot of everyone else, Erimar asked, "Have you heard from the Space Marshal since the ball?"

Sven shook his head. "I chose my wife and son over my old fiancée, Prince Erimar. I _had _to. It was the only choice that made sense."

"Ah. Duty and honor before all else." The prince nodded in approval. "I met with the Space Marshal in New York some three months ago. Tyvel has joined the Alliance, so I went to the headquarters for two weeks to make everything official. Mrs. Hawkins is a lovely hostess."

Sven steadied himself against the side of the elevator. "Did you just refer to the Space Marshal as _Mrs. Hawkins_?"

Erimar grinned wickedly. "Well, her friends were all having a great time teasing her about her newlywed status, and I think I may have joined in on the revelry a few times. Especially after a few shots of that blasted Ciroc vodka."

"Which friends of hers did you meet?"

"Oh, quite a few. I met her husband Jon, of course. I met that enchanting best friend of hers, Morgan Rackens, and her husband David. Quite a charming couple, really."

_Rackens__? _Sven thought, perturbed. He remembered how the older cadet had always murdered Lance, metaphorically speaking, in every shooting match the Academy held. He definitely hadn't seen that match-up coming. _Morgan married David Rackens?_

"I met two of the captains from the Voltron Vehicle Team, Cliff and Jeff, as well as Jeff's girlfriend - blast it, what was her name?"

"Lisa?" Sven offered.

"No, not Lisa. Lisa's with the Albegas captain - Aidan - I remember that much." He paused, trying to come up with the name for Jeff's girlfriend. "Chris? Christine? Something like that."

"I don't remember a Christine." _Lisa's with Aidan Dalloway now? And what was that about Albegas?_

"Well, she _is_ four years younger than Jeff, if I remember correctly. Who else did I meet? Oh, yes, I met that adorable Ginger Ellington. What a charming woman." He smiled. "I can see why your friend Lance was so taken with her. Between her pretty face and her bubbly personality, it was hard for me to resist her."

As the elevator came to a stop, Sven muttered, "It sounds like you had a good time in New York, Prince Erimar."

"Why yes, I certainly did." Erimar stepped out of the elevator and waved Sven on to go first. "Your old Academy classmates are really a remarkable group of people, Sargeant Holgersson. I would enjoy returning to New York in the future and spending time with them again."

Trying to keep his temper in check, Sven punched in the override code to the guest room. The door opened, and he ushered the prince into the room as courteously as he could. "Here you are, your highness," he said stiffly. "Your trunk will be along shortly."

"Thank you, Sargeant." Erimar grinned at him, then lowered his voice considerably. "Man to man, Sven, as much as I like that wife of yours, I think you did yourself a huge disservice by letting the Space Marshal get away. If she had ever been _my_ girlfriend, I never would have let her go." With those parting words, he closed the door behind him.

Sven couldn't move. He stood in the hallway, shaking, for a solid minute. It was true; he never should have let Lenora get away. He was not over her and he never would be, and Erimar's words were like a slap in the face to a man who was never going to have the object of his desire.

Once his breathing returned to normal and he could move again, he headed straight for the nursery, where he would find his only source of solace: his son.

* * *

Lance only sighed when he heard Keith's suggestion - or rather, order. "I knew it was gonna come down to this, Crankypants, but do I really _have _to do it? And do I have to take Danny-boy with me?"

Keith only cracked a grin in reply. "Hey, Moody, _you _were the one who said that Prince Luthcar was Red Lion's soulmate. Put your money where your mouth is and establish an alliance with Planet Brann. And yes, you have to take Daniel - he'll enjoy seeing it."

"I swear, some days you hate me."

"Not some days. _Every _day."

"You wound me."

Keith turned his head towards Hunk. "Hunk, you and Yellow Lion will establish an alliance between Arus and Planet Scilos. I want you to take Larmina with you."

"Why me?" Larmina asked, not maliciously.

Keith shrugged. "I feel bad for Prince Xandre. I was thinking that if we sent the Lady of Arus to Scilos, the king might soften his anger towards his son, at least while the two of you are there."

She nodded. "Ah. Political pawn."

"At least you accept it."

"I've learned a lot of things lately."

"I can see that." Keith was proud of the cadet once again. Larmina was really growing up fast. She was learning, and she was working to better herself. He only wished that Daniel and Vince would pick up a little of that attitude for themselves.

"So that takes care of Red and Yellow," Pidge noted. "What about the rest of us, Keith? Where would you like me to go?"

Keith inclined his head. "I've given this one some thought, Pidge. I still think that the best thing you can do is go back to Balto and help repair any damages there. You can take Vince with you." He thought about the ninja zombie fiasco. "If there are any ill feelings, it's best to address them and repair them so that we can make our alliance even stronger than it was before."

Lance rolled his eyes. "Great. What about you and Allura, Crankypants?"

"Well, fortunately for us, we're leaving for Pollux with Larmina this afternoon. As you know, Bandor is marrying Princess Emmaline, and her sister, the reigning monarch of Planet Exxus, will also be there to forge alliances. If I remember correctly, Allura mentioned that Prince Erimar of Planet Tyvel will also be in attendance. There will be ample opportunities for us to gain and strengthen alliances this weekend." He glanced over at Larmina. "Speaking of, are you almost ready to go?"

She shrugged. Normally, she would have scowled. Keith noted the improvement in her temperament. "I guess so. I packed my dress from the ball for the wedding." She cracked a smile at him. "Hey, I might have changed some since the Space Marshal's visit, but I haven't changed _that _much. I still don't like getting all dressed up."

Keith laughed. "That part's okay, Larmina. You don't have to enjoy getting all dressed up, just as long as you do it."

Allura entered the control room, looking like a woman ready to hit the getaway car. "Keith, Larmina. Are you two ready to leave for Pollux yet?"

"Wow, you're not jumpin' the gun or anything, huh, Princess?" Hunk teased.

She placed her hands on her hips in an intimidating stance, but there was a smile on her lips. "Let's just say I could use a change of scenery."

"Yeah, and it'll be good to see your cousins too, I suppose," Pidge added. "Make sure you give the newlyweds our congratulations, and say hi to Sven for us, okay?"

"Yeah. Tell the Viking I'm thinking of getting another beanbag chair for my room," Lance added.

Keith's eyebrows furrowed. "Another beanbag chair? What happened to your _old _one?"

Lance scowled. "Let's just say I have a sneaking suspicion that it's on the Explorer right now. In a certain Captain Aki's room..."

* * *

By the way the light was fading in the sky, Aidan could tell that it was nearing 1700 hours. Not that he cared; he hadn't left his apartment in two days. Come to think of it, he'd barely gotten out of bed, barely gotten dressed. The only time he pulled on any semblance of clothes was when the delivery guy came to the door with food.

"You," he whispered to his girlfriend as he cuddled with her, "are amazing. I've missed you. And I love you."

Aside from her ruby pendant, she wasn't wearing anything except the sheets twisted around her body. Her long, almost-black hair was damp and tangled; it hadn't seen a hairbrush in as many days as they hadn't left the apartment. Her dark eyes sparkled in the recessing sunlight.

"I love you back," she told him dreamily.

A year. Aidan had never, _ever _dated a girl exclusively for a year. It just wasn't something he did. But now that his thirty-second birthday was rapidly approaching, he was coming to the realization that he wouldn't be young forever, and he didn't want to grow older and still be single. And not just single, _pathetically _single, foolishly thinking he could still pick up any young chick he wanted.

Lisa was perfect, and Lisa wanted to get married. Lisa wanted a family, though Aidan wasn't quite sure how he felt about being a father. He _did _know that raising a family would be a huge change in his life. Lisa would have to leave the Voltron Force, and he might need to step down from Albegas. There was no way they could stay in his one-bedroom apartment, they would have to find somewhere else to live. Unlike David Rackens, he didn't have wealthy British parents to buy him a house as a wedding present. And unlike Jon Hawkins, he didn't inherit millions of dollars in assets, including a glorious triplex on Fifth Avenue.

Speaking of Hawkins, Aidan found it ironic that while the Explorer was on its last mission, he had hung out at the commander's triplex with his wife nearly every night. Lenora and Aidan had a running joke that the doorman thought they were having an affair, he was over so often. Even though he knew that part of him was never going to get over the Space Marshal, the bigger part of him was accepting of the fact that she was married. He truly enjoyed just hanging out with her, watching the Giants game and knocking back a few bottles of Guinness - purely for nostalgic reasons, of course.

"Hey Lis," he whispered to her, "you think maybe we should get out of bed and get dinner?"

She wrapped her arms around his torso. "No. You wanna get Chinese takeout again? With chopsticks?" She winked at him. "That way I can show you how good I am with chopsticks."

"Man, you have been on a Chinese takeout kick since you got off the Explorer. What's _that _about?"

She laughed. "Have you ever tasted Sammy's cooking?"

"Who's Sammy?"

"The chef on the Explorer."

"No."

"Pray you never do."

In spite of himself, he smiled, then pulled a pillow over her head. Giggling like a teenager in response, she wriggled her way out from underneath the pillow and jumped on top of him, placing kisses all over his beautiful face. With a satisfied sigh, she laid her head on his chest and held onto him.

"Hey Lis?"

"What's that?"

"You know I'm gonna marry you someday, right?"

She buried her face in his chest. "Ask me properly, Aidan Dalloway, and I'll say yes."

He stroked her tangled hair as he contemplated the idea of a proposal. Soon. It would be coming soon enough.


	3. Don't Trust Me

_Author's Note__: I love being on vacation, really. There's nothing like it - it's better than having a week off from work when the office is closed. That's because while I'm away, happily writing (and doing yoga and drinking wine - DON'T JUDGE), the rest of the crew back home is slaving it out. Heh heh heh. I continue to own nothing except my characters._

_To Craze - I am so glad you appreciate my writing and the fact that I have these characters do twisted things. For example, cheating on their partners. But you're right; that's life, and life's not always nice._

_To Emie Mac - Don't worry, Erimar's not gonna blow Jeff's cover. THAT PART is too good to blow on Erimar. Sven has never met Christiane, so he wouldn't have any idea who she is. As for Aidan, well, he is growing up, but there's more to his story coming down the road in this book._

_To Sally On - Maahox was never my favorite, but I'm sure you agree he is really, REALLY fun to write. He might have almost as many good lines as Lance. As for Erimar calling Romelle "Romy," I think Sven was more shocked than angered by it. _

_To Wade Wells - The part I hated the most about the new Voltron Force cartoon was the fact that they made Lotor look like a huge, bumbling, incompetent idiot. If I ever make Lotor look stupid, it's b/c his OTHER head is doing the thinking, like in this case. As for Erimar, well, you know my man Sven has superb self-control. Uh...wait a second, let me rephrase that...SOMETIMES he has superb self-control. Also, I put the last section of this chapter in for you, since you've been asking for some of your man Keith's backstory._

_**Title Song: "Don't Trust Me" by 3OH!3**_

* * *

Romelle felt sick.

Emma stood in front of the mirrors, trying on her wedding gown one last time before the ceremony tomorrow. She looked stunning in it, even without the hair, make-up and jewels to go with it. No, Romelle felt sick for a different reason.

Clarissa, Emma's older sister and the reigning monarch of Planet Exxus, was a raging psychopath who was downright cruel to her younger sister.

The thirty-three-year-old queen was beautiful. In fact, _beautiful _might have been an understatement. Clarissa's waist-length mahogany-brown hair, thick and shining, gave her regal diamond-studded tiara a run for its money as her crowning jewel. Her navy-blue eyes were fringed with dark, thick lashes and framed by perfectly-shaped eyebrows. Her skin was the most porcelain-smooth shade Romelle had ever seen, with the slightest pink flush to her cheeks. Her lips were plump and dark pink as though they were perpetually bee-stung, and the sculpted lines of her cheeks, her nose, her forehead, and her jaw were so meticulously carved it hurt to behold her.

But as soon as she opened those bee-stung lips, Clarissa turned into the ugliest woman in the Azure Quadrant, and possibly the entire universe.

"Emmaline, this is a royal wedding," she scolded her younger sister. "I can't believe that you aren't covering up your arms. That's not royal protocol. You're going to embarrass yourself and everyone else."

Emma stood atop the seamstress' dais in her strapless wedding gown. Romelle thought that the young princess looked beautiful, even if her arms _were_ bare. "Rizz," the young bride-to-be countered softly, "I'm not the crowned royalty of Exxus. _You _are. So I didn't think I needed to follow the royal protocol for a wedding gown."

"That's just it. You didn't think." Clarissa crossed her arms and shook her head with a disgusted expression on her face. "You _never _think. Gods, you are so lucky you found a prince who thought you were charming, though I don't know _how _he came to that conclusion. I feel sorry for him."

Romelle drew in a sharp breath. "With all due respect, Queen Clar -"

Emma's phone rang at that moment, which gave them all enough pause as she answered. "Oh, Bandor. I'm glad you called." She shot a poisonous glance in her sister's direction, then returned her attention to the phone call. "Oh, great! I'll tell her. I'll be there as soon as I can." She smiled, giddy with happiness. "I love you, too. See you soon."

Looking up from her phone, she turned her face towards Romelle. "Bandor says that your cousins are here from Arus. Could you please help me out of the dress? I'd like to meet them."

"Is your fitting done?" Romelle asked, keeping Clarissa out of her line of sight. She didn't care for the queen, and she didn't trust her as far as she could throw her. "Don't rush it - this is your last fitting before the wedding."

Emma nodded, turning to face herself in the mirrors. "It fits, and it looks beautiful," she said as though her sister wasn't in the room. "I love it, and that's all that matters."

Clarissa scoffed, but otherwise said nothing.

"Clarissa," Romelle snapped, "perhaps you might like to meet up with the other guests. I can take care of your sister and help her finish up here."

The queen nodded. "Yes. That sounds like a good idea."

Once Clarissa had left the room and was out of earshot, Emma looked at her reflection and smiled. "This dress isn't so bad, right?" she asked, looking for reassurance. "I think Rizz is just ticked off that I'm getting married before she is, and I'm so much younger."

"Well, with her attitude, it's not hard to see why she can't find a husband," Romelle offered.

"Yeah, she _is _a witch. Steve and I are used to it, though. We forgive her." Her face turned almost wistful as Romelle unbuttoned the gown. "We lost our father incredibly young - I don't even remember him. Then, when Zarkon attacked our planet, our mother was killed. Rizz took the throne at an unusually young age, and it's made her hard. And bitter." She shrugged. "I don't even know if she _wants _to get married."

"Was she one of Lotor's victims?"

"Who _wasn't_?" Emma stepped out of the gown and lifted it onto the dress form. "Lotor was always taken with a pretty face, and he held Rizz captive for a short period of time. She was never the same when she returned to Exxus. I think he might have raped her, but she won't talk about it."

Biting her lip, Romelle suddenly could sympathize with Clarissa. She felt terrible about disliking and not trusting the queen. "I should apologize."

"Don't bother. She doesn't like sympathy."

As Emma threw her clothing back on and stepped into her shoes, Romelle knew that she had to greet her cousins from Arus. But she had one more person she wanted to see first: her husband.

Clarissa and Romelle had lived through very similar situations: being captured and raped by Lotor. Neither one of them had lived an easy life. It occurred to Romelle that if Clarissa was a raging psychopath to everyone around her, well, how had she acted towards Sven? It wasn't her own fault that Lotor had captured her, raped her, and attempted to kill her, just as much as it wasn't his fault that he'd been mauled by a robeast and infected with Haggarium.

Keeping her anxiety in check with her new-found revelation, she kept pace with Emma as they made their way to the hangar to greet their cousins.

* * *

Hawkins and Newley stood in the hangar, watching as the maintenance crew did minor repairs to the Explorer. "I can't believe we're leaving again tomorrow," Hawkins sighed as he studied the work being done. "I feel like we just docked."

"We _did _just dock," Newley pointed out. "In case you forgot, you overrode the Space Marshal's eight-week allotment by two weeks, which cut into our docking time almost entirely." He smirked. "Has she forgiven you yet?"

"She did. But not the first night."

"I don't blame her. We're only here for a couple of days, and then we take off again. She must have wanted to murder you." He chuckled to himself. "Some first year of marriage you two are having. You've barely seen each other in six months."

Hawkins exhaled. "I know. It's so funny, Rich - whenever we're out in space, time passes so quickly, I lose track. I miss my wife, but I feel like I'm alive." He paused, and Newley could hear the pain in the commander's voice as he continued. "But when we dock, I dread leaving. I hate to leave her. I really, _really _hate to leave her."

"Jon," Newley told him quietly, "you have twenty years invested with the Alliance. Twenty and out, right? You could retire."

He nodded. "I could. I hate to retire, though. I've always thought of the Voltron Force as my family, and I'd hate to abandon them."

"But you have a family now, Jon. Or, at least, a wife. And I'm sure there will be a little one or two coming along somewhere down the line. Besides, since you're married to the Space Marshal, who says you have to retire fully? You could get a desk job or something behind the scenes. That way you can still stay in the thick of the action, but you can go home with your wife at the end of the day."

Hawkins nodded. He understood the captain's words completely, and yet, at the same time, he could not. He knew what his friend was trying to tell him, but he didn't know if he could do it. He had spent twenty years on the Explorer - never on the Voltron Force, but always on the bridge of the Explorer. It was comfortable; he was more at home there than anywhere else. But now, with a wife and a Manhattan triplex and an inheritance that included places to live in Paris, Boston, and Las Vegas, was a starship _really _home?

He thought about Lenora's words to him on their wedding night. _You're my home_, she'd told him, and she sincerely meant it. He needed to think about that from a different perspective. _She_ was his home, just as much as anywhere else. And maybe he didn't need the bridge to be his home anymore - he needed his wife.

"Rich," he said slowly, forming the words as he thought them, "there might be something to that retirement idea of yours."

The captain merely clapped him on the shoulder in reply.

* * *

Impatient. His lord was always impatient.

"Tomorrow," Wade told Lotor. "Not today, _tomorrow_."

"Why?" Lotor asked, his eyes glowing with a Haggarium-laced anger. "Why should we wait that long? Why should we waste time when we could be moving on with our plan right now?"

"You have no patience," Wade scoffed.

_Amen to that_, Maahox thought.

"We need to wait until tomorrow," Wade continued, a measured control in his voice. Maahox liked the Sky Marshal more and more the better he got to know him. "My intelligence - my spies, I should say - tells me that Prince Bandor of Planet Pollux is marrying Princess Emmaline of Planet Exxus tomorrow. Captain Keith Kogane of the Voltron Force, as well as Princess Allura and Lady Larmina of Arus, will be in attendance. Lance McClain, the pilot of the Red Lion, will be off to Planet Brann to initiate talks of an alliance, with the cadet Daniel in tow. In addition, Vehicle Voltron will be departing for an eight-week exploration mission tomorrow." His eyes gleamed in understanding. "Tomorrow, King Lotor, is the perfect day to capture Christiane Kogane. By the time anyone realizes she's missing, both Voltron Forces will be split up or away from home base."

"Good thinking," Cossack spat out. "I know I'm not known around here for my thinking, but that sure sounds like a good plan to me."

Aggravated, even Lotor had to concede that there was a benefit to waiting until tomorrow to capture the girl. "Well, can you blame me?" he finally shot out. "I have not had a girl that beautiful in my harem in a very long time. I can't wait to ruin her." He licked his lips.

Maahox shuddered. "My lord, could you please say something a little less - _creepy _- about your plans for this girl?"

"Coming from _you_, Maahox? That's rich." Lotor looked annoyed, but he did not strike Maahox or do anything else resembling a toddler throwing a temper tantrum; he redirected the subject instead. "I can wait until tomorrow if it means we will be victorious. _But _you had better promise that we will be victorious, Sky Marshal."

Wade shrugged. "Of course, King Lotor, we will be victorious."

How could they _not _be?

* * *

_Her heart pounding, Morgan slid by Jeff in the hallway and made her way to Keith's dorm room. She felt like she was being punished. Whatever she did - and she didn't know exactly what it was that she had done - she didn't think it was such a big deal. But apparently, her boyfriend did._

_Keith was a good guy, and he was a good boyfriend. But he had problems, bigger problems than she could contend with. _

_Morgan's life had never been great. She was a hell-raiser just a few years ago; she smoked pot, lost her virginity at thirteen, hung out with the wrong crowd. She supposed most of it had to do with her father abandoning her and her mother when she was six. But she had moved on, and ten years after he left, she'd found a chance to make her life better, and possibly a person to share it with._

_Her boyfriend, though, was even more messed up than she was, if it was even possible for such a thing to exist._

_She turned the knob and entered his room, locking the door behind her. "Keith?" she asked hesitantly, sitting down in Jeff's desk chair. "Hon, do you want to tell me what's going on?"_

_Seated at his own desk, he merely bobbed his head silently. His turquoise eyes were blank, and his blue-black hair rippled down to his shoulders in a mullet that only a mother could love. __If__ his mother had still been alive. His parents had been dead for four years._

_She sensed that his parents were at the bottom of this. They always were. His mixed-up emotions and intimacy issues with her were rooted in the loss of his parents and his sister. His sister wasn't dead, but they had been separated in the system, and as far as he knew, Christiane was still a ward of the state._

"_Morgan." He stated her name as though he had a mouth full of bile. "I heard you were with Andrew today."_

"_Andrew?" she repeated. The cadet he was referring to was a classmate, one who - much like Sven and Aidan - had been obsessed with her roommate at the beginning of the year and had even asked her out before she got serious with Sven. "Oh, yeah. Andrew and I have to work on a project together for our Interplanetary Relations class. It's due in a couple of days."_

_He spun around in his chair to look at her. "You've spent the entire day with him. You ate lunch with him. You had dinner with him. You were in his dorm room with him for a very long time. He even kicked his roommate out so the two of you could be alone together."_

"_Keith! We are working on a project!" she cried out, exasperated. "What, do you think I'm cheating on you with Andrew?"_

_He didn't need to reply. The look in his turquoise eyes said it all._

_She drew in a sharp breath. "You don't trust me, do you, Keith." She didn't ask it as a question. She meant it as a statement._

_His silence was all the response she needed._

"_Keith, I don't need a boyfriend who doesn't trust me, and I certainly don't need a boyfriend who doesn't believe me when I tell him that I'm not cheating on him. What proof do you need from me, blood?" Morgan paused, gripping the back of Jeff's chair so hard that her knuckles blanched. "Is this your parental-issue thing again? Do you have intimacy issues you aren't dealing with?"_

_He gritted his teeth. She had never seen such anger in his eyes. "Get out of my room __now__, Feld."_

_She stood up. "You know what? You're right, Keith. Don't trust me. I'm not good enough for you." She snarled. "No, I take that back. You're not good enough for __me__. Good-bye, Kogane."_

_Exiting the room, she slammed the door with such force that some of their floormates opened their doors and peeked their heads into the hallway to see what the commotion was about. She noticed Jeff's head peeking out of Lance's and Sven's room, concern deep in his dark eyes. Kelly and Cinda were peeking out, too, as well as Ginger and Lisa._

"_It's OVER!" she announced to them in a scream. Then, tracking her footsteps back to the main stairway in the middle of the hallway, she made her getaway._

"_Morgan!" Lisa cried out worriedly. "Where are you going?"_

_She smirked before she exited through the door. "Andrew's room." She paused, staring directly at Jeff. "Tell your roommate," she told him coldly, "that he got what he wanted. He was so sure that I was cheating on him with Andrew. Well, now that we're broken up, that's exactly what I'm gonna do."_

"_Morgan," Jeff sighed, "think this through better, okay?"_

"_Later, Amigo. Right now, I'm gonna hook up with Andrew." The door closed behind her, and she furiously climbed up the next flight of stairs, taking the steps two at a time. By the time she arrived in front of Andrew's door, she was out of breath and her pulse was racing._

_Andrew answered his door. "Morgan. What's wrong? What happened?"_

"_Are you alone?" She looked beyond his halfway-decent looks and his cropped sandy-blond hair to peek into his room. He was._

"_Yes. But -"_

"_Good."_

_She cut him off with a powerful kiss. Andrew, being a normal sixteen-year-old boy who was unwilling to pass down a golden opportunity when it presented itself, went through all the motions as he brought Morgan over to his twin bed. Maybe not the most romantic setting, but it served its purpose. But she found that she couldn't do it. She couldn't bring herself to have sex with Andrew. Excusing herself, she slipped out of his room like it meant nothing._

_It really hadn't meant anything. She loved Keith. Blast it, it always came back to Keith._


	4. Her Diamonds

_Author's Note__: For those of you who are new to the crazy train, I should explain this now and get it over with: I love love. I love weddings, I love dresses (plus I tell you where to find 'em), I love sparkly jewelry, but most of all, I love love. So you'll see why I couldn't just skip over the wedding of Bandor and Emma. As per usual, I own nothing except my characters (though I wish I owned some of these dresses)._

_Larmina's dress is the Evie long dress in Spiced Wine (J. Crew), Allura's dress is the Limited Edition Flower Maxi Dress (Topshop), Romelle's dress is the Notte by Marchesa One-Sleeve Column Dress (Saks), Clarissa's dress is the $299 gown from H&M, and Emma's dress is the Nouvelle Amsale A-Line Ballgown (Nordstrom)._

_Also, Emma's engagement ring is the Stratford Antique-cut Genuine Diamond ring (Stauer), and the ring Lance receives from Planet Brann is the Garnet & Diamond ring in 14k White Gold (Blue Nile)._

_To Sally On - Poor Andrew. He got used and abused by both Len AND Morgan. Poor kid doesn't get a break. As for the crew on Doom, there are definitely reasons for no trust there, too many egos!_

_To Emie Mac - I'll see what I can do about everybody's backstories. I have a good idea of how and where I can weave David in, and of course I'll find somewhere to put Jeff in, just for you. I'm glad you're having as much fun on my vacation as I am!_

_To Wade Wells - Girl, you beat me to the punch! This was just a little teaser of Keith's intimacy issues. As you said, everyone has left him, so now he's afraid to love and let anyone in, because whoever else he lets in might leave him too. As for Allura...well, she might have a thing or two to say about this after he finds out about Christiane._

_**Title Song: "Her Dia**__**monds" **__**by R**__**ob Th**__**omas**_

* * *

Lance never flew with an entourage outside of the other Voltron lions. Anything - or anyone - he needed to bring with him either had to be stashed in Red Lion with him, or it didn't come with him at all. Daniel accepted that fact. Not that they needed much of anything in terms of supplies, anyway - all they needed was themselves and their official uniforms to form the alliance with Prince Luthcar and Planet Brann.

"This planet is freaky," Daniel mused as he gazed out the window at the fire-engulfed planet. The terrain looked like one big volcano; barren and rocky with lakes and streams of lava. The horizon was hazy and wavy, as though it was a thousand degrees outside. Lance guessed that it could very well be that hot out.

"Yeah, it is, Dan-man. You're not kidding."

Luthcar's castle, he knew, was looming ahead of them, wavy in the distance from the heat. The castle itself looked like it could have been the fraternal twin to Zarkon's old Castle Doom, except it was covered in solar panels, most likely to reflect the heat and keep the palace cool inside. A shudder trailed down Lance's spine. It was eerie.

They brought Red Lion down hovering around the castle, where Brann's castle control picked up. Even though Lance and Daniel had both met Prince Luthcar before, it was still jarring when his vision came onscreen before them. His flaming-red skin, golden eyes, and blond hair made quite an impression. "Welcome, Red Lion pilot. Please proceed to the underground chamber. You can leave your lion in there."

"You heard the man," Lance told Daniel. "Let's follow the prince's orders."

Daniel shrugged. "If nothing else, this should be interesting."

Lance waited until he saw a portal open up in the ground, and dove through it. He waited until it had fully closed overhead before he and Daniel exited the Lion.

"This is wild," Daniel whispered.

In the underground hangar, they were greeted by Luthcar and his attendants, all of whom had red skin and hair in varying shades of blond. Most of them were men, but a few were women, and the women were attractively dressed in conservative gowns in amber shades and flanked with jewelry.

"Sargeant McClain." Prince Luthcar approached Lance and offered his hand in greeting. "We have been expecting you. Come, I'd like you to meet my sister, Anadora." He looked over Lance's shoulder. "Oh, you brought one of your cadets with you? Wonderful! I look forward to showing you both around."

"We welcome the offer," Lance replied, keeping his sarcasm in check.

The temperature inside the palace was, as they had guessed, much cooler than outdoors. It was far more ornate than the Castle of Lions or even Castle Pollux, adorned with many gilded carvings and moldings. Luthcar escorted them to the throne room, where his sister, the crowned queen, sat.

Queen Anadora was quite a few years older than her brother, but she looked enchanting nonetheless. Her red skin was perfectly smooth, and her golden eyes flickered with amusement. Her white-blond hair was spun up into an elaborate twist, crowned with a tiara of garnets. Her amber-brown ballgown, made of raw silk with long sleeves, was age-appropriate and elegant.

"Sister," Luthcar greeted her, "I have brought the Voltron Force pilots."

"Wonderful." Anadora stood, eyeing both the pilot and the cadet. "It is a pleasure to have both of you here on Planet Brann. I trust your trip here was safe." She extended her arms in greeting. "I am Queen Anadora."

"Your Majesty. A pleasure." Lance, pouring on the charm in a way only he could, swept down before the queen in an elaborate bow, then took her right hand and placed a kiss on it. "The crown prince did not tell me had a sister, and _certainly _not a sister as lovely as you are."

Daniel snickered as the queen threw her head back and laughed. "My dear Sargeant McClain, I am far too old for you to be flirting with. However, I am not so old that I don't enjoy the attempt." She smiled at him. "Come, let us talk."

Lance extended his arm to the queen, and she took it. As she placed her hand on his upper arm, he noticed the ornate ring on her finger. It was a large, round garnet, set in a white metal, and flanked with a halo of sparkling petite diamonds. It was an intricate piece of jewelry, the craftsmanship of which he had not expected on such a fiery planet.

"Oh? You like my ring?"

"I do, Your Majesty." Lance took Anadora's hand to examine the ring more closely. "It is beautiful, and you can ask the cadet here, I'm not exactly a jewelry guy."

"It's true," Daniel piped up from behind them.

Anadora nodded. "Luthcar, escort the cadet and follow us to the Strategy Room. I would like to speak of meetings and alliances with the Planet Arus." She paused, looking directly into Lance's hazel eyes. "As a token of my goodwill - and of my earnest desire to create peaceful bonds with other planets in our solar system - I'd like to offer you this." She slid the ring off her finger and placed it in his palm.

"What? Your Majesty, no!" Lance's panicked eyes darted around the throne room. "I cannot accept this. It's too much, and we've only just met. Please."

"You can accept it, and you will." She raised her eyebrows flirtatiously at him. "It's a token of our new friendship. You may bring it back to Princess Allura as a gift from me, or you may feel free to bestow it upon whomever you wish." She smiled warmly. "But whoever you give it to, make sure she is worthy of it."

Lance nodded. "Thank you, Queen Anadora, I am honored," he finally responded. "Truly honored. Now, let's make our way over to your Strategy Room and talk."

* * *

She gazed at herself in the free-standing full-length mirror. Romelle had never worn purple before. She had never worn a gown with one sleeve, either. Now she was wearing both, along with a diamond-and-white-topaz tiara to crown her flowing blond hair. She was wearing what little royal jewelry her planet had left.

It was true that the Polluxian royal treasury did not have much in terms of jewelry; there hadn't been much to pick from in terms of an engagement ring and wedding bands for Emma and Bandor. Yet, the little that was left - what hadn't been stolen from them by the forces of Doom - was spectacular. She didn't know why Lotor hadn't run off with the items. She could only surmise that he didn't have enough room on the ship, or enough strength left in his arms.

"You look beautiful, Romelle."

Sven stood behind her in their bedroom, dressed in the traditional blue-and-white Polluxian military uniform - the same uniform he had been married in. She knew that Bandor would be wearing the same uniform for the ceremony, and she ached to see him before he became a married man and ascended the throne as king of Pollux.

"You don't look so bad yourself."

It was so nice to finally let go of her anger, of her need to break him over the fact that she saw a picture of him with his arms around another woman. The fact was, it took two to create the mess they were in, and it would take two to get them out. They were both trying to make their marriage work, and it was so much easier for her to let it go than to continue to find new ways to break her husband.

He smiled a lopsided grin. "Thank you." Looking her over once again, he continued, "I wanted to see you before Bandor and I make our way over to the chapel. He's nervous, but he wanted me to tell you that he's happy and he knows that he's doing the right thing."

Romelle smiled back at him. "Tell him that I'm proud of him, and that I think Emma is the loveliest girl I've ever met."

"I will."

She wanted to kiss him, and she could feel that he wanted to kiss her as well. It was just..._difficult_. A kiss was more intimate than any other act of love, more intimate than even lovemaking itself. She couldn't do it yet.

He seemed to understand. He kept his distance and inclined his head towards her, then left the room.

Romelle couldn't understand why, once Sven left the room, it was less painful for her to breathe.

* * *

The royal chapel on Pollux was not very large, and Larmina felt like she was suffocating in it. She was squished between her aunt and Prince Erimar. Keith sat on the other side of Allura, wearing the proper attire for a royal escort. The lady of Arus had heard the court gossip; now that Keith and her aunt were together, it was just a matter of time before there was a proposal and a royal wedding on Arus.

She shuddered to think about the dress - actually, dresses - she would have to wear to _that _event.

"It's so hard for me to think of Bandor as a man, almost twenty-six years old," Allura murmured to Keith. "I still remember him as that short, chubby-faced fifteen-year-old boy we first encountered all those years ago."

"Me too," Keith answered, lightly touching his girlfriend's knee. "I can't believe how much he's changed since then."

Larmina noted the former Blue Lion pilot standing beside the prince. "Sven looks good, too," she noted, almost sadly. Seeing Sven made her think about Len. She missed the Space Marshal; she was the only person who ever truly understood the cadet and her life. How could Sven want to be with her boring cousin Romelle over Lenora Stensson? What a disappointment.

Keith could tell what Larmina was thinking, and reached his hand across Allura's back to place his hand on her shoulder. "I miss Len too," he told her softly. "And your aunt does, as well. She's told me."

"She has?"

"Yes."

"You know, I wish you two would stop talking about me like I'm not sitting between you," Allura scolded them mildly. She was feeling a little warm in her cardigan. Trying to be properly attired, she'd thrown a purple cardigan over her pale lilac-colored gown. Although _she _appreciated its lack of sleeves and its gracious T-back, she was sure it wouldn't be appreciated at a royal wedding ceremony.

Keith smiled at her, flashing the charm in his turquoise eyes. "But it's fun to talk about you."

She looked over to Erimar helplessly for support. The prince merely shrugged. "Hey, I miss Len as well. The best vacation I've ever had was to New York. She made an excellent hostess, _and _Tyvel joined the Alliance at the same time."

As the music flared up, Keith looked over at Erimar. "You'll have to fill me in at the reception."

Since there was no mother of the bride - or groom - the procession began with Romelle walking down the aisle, carrying a squirming Erik in her arms. While Larmina marveled at the sultriness of the purple dress, Allura could not believe how big Erik had gotten. His sandy-blond hair hadn't changed in color, but his baby-blue eyes had changed into the same slate-blue color as his father's.

Queen Clarissa walked down the aisle next as the maid of honor. She wore a sleeveless, scoop-necked dress in the palest shade of grey, with a skirt that was tiers and tiers of ruffles. She carried a bouquet of pink roses in her arms, and she had adorable pink peep-toed heels on her feet.

They rose to their feet as Emma descended down the aisle, resplendent in her ivory-colored strapless ballgown. She floated down the aisle on her brother Stephane's arm, carrying a trailing bouquet of mixed white flowers - roses, peonies, calla lillies - and three pink roses to symbolize her parents and her grandfather. Her brown hair was worn in an elaborate updo, and she was dripping in diamonds - necklace, earrings, bracelet, tiara. Her diamonds were presumably borrowed from the Exxusian royal treasury, but a piece or two may have been gifted upon her.

Bandor's face lit up as he saw Emma.

It was hard for anyone, even Clarissa, to begrudge the two of them their love for each other. Sven looked on at both of them from his up-close vantage point. He was fond of both of them, and wished them nothing but happiness. He was also insanely jealous of them. He had not been that happy on his wedding day; he remembered an overwhelming sense of feeling like he was sinking into a cement pit, grieving the loss of his _elskede_.

He moved his glance from Bandor and Emma towards Romelle and Erik. She was not paying attention to the ceremony at all, which was a shame, considering it was her brother getting married. She was preoccupied with their son, which was good, but sad at the same time.

Somehow, he managed to find Keith in the crowd. As slate-blue eyes met turquoise ones, he knew that his old friend knew exactly what was going through his head at the moment, and Sven was grateful for it. Looking over at Larmina, who shared the same aquamarine eyes as the groom and his sister, she seemed to give him the same encouragement.

At the same time, he could read her thoughts as though they were written across her face. _You should be with the Space Marshal._

He couldn't disagree with her.

* * *

Whenever the Explorer took off, there was always a crowd of onlookers and well-wishers. Of course, there was always a news crew or two, and a bunch of bystanders serving as the curiosity factor. And then there were the loved ones being left behind. That was the worst of it.

Commander Hawkins held his wife's hand in a death-grip, looking over at Captain Newley and replaying his words in his head. He looked down at her - she was so strong, and he was so impressed at how well she handled him leaving. Then, unable to look at her anymore, he painfully broke his gaze away and looked at the remaining crew and Vehicle Team members.

He wasn't the only one being affected. He watched Jeff shake hands with David, then hug and kiss Morgan good-bye. Once he'd done that, he drew Christiane into his arms and kissed her passionately. Looking away, he watched as Kelly Asimov gathered Cinda, her former roommate, in her arms and hugged her tightly. Cinda also hugged Kelly's boyfriend, Taye Benton, reluctant to get back on the ship.

Hawkins noticed Lisa and Aidan together. Lisa was crying. Perhaps not full-on sobbing, but a few tears slid down her face and plopped onto the floor. She clung to him as Cliff and Aidan said their good-byes to each other, then as Ginger hugged him good-bye.

There was something to this getting older bit. His team members who lived nomadic lives, the ones without families or significant others, the ones whose sole purpose in life was to be on the Explorer and the Voltron Force - well, they would be okay. But the ones who had forged deeper relationships outside of the Explorer were the ones Hawkins worried about. He knew that this was the beginning of the end for this particular team and crew. In a year, things would be different.

He would be part of the change. In fact, the change would most likely begin with him.

"Commander Hawkins," his wife addressed him formally, "I have to stress the fact that you must adhere to your allotted eight-week exploration time frame. Should you go even one day over, I will suspend the activities of the Explorer until further notice." She shot him a look.

"Of course, Space Marshal," he reassured her. "Once again, I apologize for my poor decision-making during the last mission."

"Good." She leaned in to kiss him. "Besides," she whispered in his ear, "I've been itching to go back to Paris, and I thought that perhaps once you came back from this mission, we could go."

"You want to relive the honeymoon so soon, hmm?"

She smiled her secret smile at him. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Never."

"Commander?" he heard a new voice speak up. "Would you mind terribly if we said good-bye to the Space Marshal?"

Looking over his wife's shoulders, Hawkins looked up to see the five of them. Jeff, Cliff, Ginger, Cinda, and Lisa. Of course. She was their friend, as well. They deserved a proper farewell.

"I'll miss you guys," Lenora told them, giving each one of her friends a hug and a kiss. "Be safe when you fly, and promise me you'll keep your commander in line."

They laughed, and Jeff looked over at Commander Hawkins. "Sir? Are we ready to leave?"

Slowly, Hawkins nodded. "Everyone on board the Explorer," he announced in his customary formal tone of voice. Then, looking down at his wife one last time, he drew her in to kiss her. She placed her hands on and cradled his face. "I love you, Jon. Be safe."

"I will be. And I love you." Kissing her forehead, he murmured, "Book the flight for Paris. But don't buy any lingerie. I'll buy you something in the city."

"You are so _naughty_, Jonathan James Hawkins."

As he withdrew from her arms, he called out, "I need _something _to get me through the next eight weeks, Mrs. Hawkins."

Then, with a final glance back at her, he stepped inside the ship, the hatchway closed behind him, and the Explorer was cleared for take-off.

As the ship began to move, her friends surrounded her. Aidan. Morgan. David. Kelly. Taye. Christiane. They were all watching as their loved ones took off on yet another mission. It was like holding their breaths, waiting for their hearts to drop as the Explorer left the planet.

"Well, that's that, then." Aidan was the first one to speak, exhaling deeply. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I could sure use a workout in Albegas right now. Anyone with me?"

Four heads nodded wordlessly.

"I'll go too," Kelly offered. "I'll watch and dictate."

"Space Marshal?" Aidan asked. "Are you coming with us, or are you heading back to your office?"

"I think I'll head back to my office," she answered slowly, feeling the wave of numbness take over her body. "I've got some paperwork to do, and some flights to book. Then I should probably hit up the package store and get some Extra Stout."

He nodded. "I'll be over between seven and eight."

"Seven hells, Dalloway," David cracked, "you _do _realize the doorman thinks there's something going on between the two of you, don't you?" He turned to look at the Albegas captain. "And you do realize her husband dislikes you enough as it is, no?"

Aidan shrugged. "Eh, whatever."


	5. Cruel

_Author's Note__: Boo! Vacation is coming to a close. I always hate when that happens. Blech. On the bright side, as a parting gift before I get on the plane tomorrow, I'll have a REALLY good chapter out. You know I can't keep a cliffhanger going for long. __As always, I own nothing but the characters I've created. Their problems, too._

_To Sally On - I so love dresses. And you're right, it's going to be a LONG haul for our friends on Pollux. And just when you think things are finally rounding a corner, a chapter like the next one turns up, and they have to start from square one all over again._

_To Emie Mac - I put some Jeff in this chapter for you! Don't worry, Queen Anadora's gift to Lance is simply a friendly gift. Though there IS a reason I wanted Lance to get his hands on a garnet ring... ;)_

_To Wade Wells - I think all that time in the hole was a long time for Captain Crankypants to mull over his intimacy issues. Not that he's past them, of course, but he's starting to come to terms with them. _

_**Title Song: "Cruel" by Tori Amos**_

* * *

The dinner plates were just being cleared from the table, which left the wedding reception open to dancing. Prince Erimar, seated at the same table with the guests from Arus, stood and politely asked Larmina for the first dance. The cadet blushed nearly the same plum color as her gown, but she accepted.

"Would you like to dance?" Keith asked Allura.

"In a little bit," she replied, taking her cardigan off and baring her ivory shoulders. She looked to the dance floor, where she noticed Romelle dancing with Stephane, Bandor dancing with Clarissa, and Sven dancing with Emma. Erimar and Larmina joined in on the festivities.

"Nobody here dances with his or her significant other," Keith noted.

"I suppose that's all right," Allura noted, slowly processing the information with her eyes and ears. She watched the way Romelle danced with Stephane and how every time her cousin turned, she would catch a glimpse of Larmina dancing with Erimar, and she would smile. "You know that I owe Erim another dance, don't you?"

He nodded. "I have no problem with that. We both owe it to him." He remembered the last time Erimar had danced with Allura, and how the prince had somehow known that she wanted to be nowhere but in Keith's arms. Keith had been dancing with Lenora at the time, purely for show, and they exchanged partners. Lenora had kept Erimar occupied while Keith and Allura declared their feelings for each other.

Then Sven came down the stairs, and everything changed.

As they watched on, they saw how partners changed. Suddenly, Romelle was dancing with Erimar, and Sven was with Larmina. Allura nearly blushed when she saw the way that her niece was looking up at the Norwegian. There could have been a million reasons for the look on her face, but Allura guessed there could only be two real ones: Blue Lion and Lenora. Those were the only two things they had in common.

"Sargeant Holgersson," Larmina whispered quietly, "can we get out of here and talk?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "You want to talk to me? About what?"

From the look in her eyes, he knew the answer.

"_Ja. Slutten." _He extended his elbow for her to take, and she did, lifting the hem of her dress with her free hand. He knew that they were on the receiving end of some odd looks - from his wife and her aunt, especially - but whatever the Lady of Arus wanted, he wasn't about to cause trouble.

Even she felt the eyes follow them out of the ballroom.

* * *

The common area of the Explorer was not exactly where Lisa wanted to be at the moment. She wanted to be back in Aidan's arms, in his bed, at his apartment. In New York. And if she couldn't have that, then she wanted to be alone in her room.

If only Ginger would allow that.

"Come _on_, Roommate!" she'd begged, dragging her down to the common area for a drink. "Stop being so stubborn! I know you love Aidan, but he loves you too, and you'll see him again in eight weeks. He's not going anywhere."

So now she was sitting between Chip and Ginger at the booth, a glass of pinot noir in front of her, and Jeff, Cliff, and Crik sitting across from her. She stared into the barely-touched glass of wine and thought again about Aidan. It was getting harder and harder to leave. Truth to be told, she was starting to resent being a member of the Voltron Force. Why should she be away from New York and the man she loved? And why should she be the one putting her life at risk to fight the Drules when she could be home?

It was more fun to be a member of the Voltron Force ten years ago.

"Hey Lis? You okay?"

When Lisa looked up, she was surprised to see that it was Jeff who was concerned about her. Jeff, the man she'd always thought she wanted to marry, the man who broke her heart at Soltoro over nachos and margaritas, and in front of an audience, no less. _Jeff _was the one who was worried about her.

She nodded, clutching the stem of her wineglass. "I just miss Aidan, that's all."

If he was jealous or hurt by her comment, he didn't show it. Instead, he reached across the table, covering her hand with his. She thought that the whole situation was cruel and unfair - not only was she missing her boyfriend, but she had to be pitied and consoled by her ex-boyfriend. "I know, Lis. It's okay. I miss Chris, too."

Of course. Of _course _he would say something like that. Though she wasn't normally the jealous type, Lisa felt the need to keep her temper in check. What did Keith's little sister have that she didn't? How could he love that one girl so much, and not her?

Then again, she _did _love Aidan more than she ever loved Jeff.

Breaking the contact, she lifted her glass of pinot noir and took a sip. It was good, really polished and elegant, and it distracted her for a moment from thinking about Jeff and Aidan. Ginger looked over at her worriedly, then stood up. "Come on, Lisa. Let's get out of here." She winked at Cliff. "You know how it is, boys. Us girls need a little space for ourselves."

Dragging Lisa and her wine over to a quiet, empty booth, Ginger stared her down. "Okay, Lis," she began, her voice thick with concern, "if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were acting like one of those girls who can't stand to be without her boyfriend. And that's not just juvenile, that's very uncool_,_ and _so_ not like you."

Lisa exhaled dramatically. "So I miss my boyfriend. So sue me. You don't seem to worry about Jeff missing Christiane, or the Commander missing Len. Why do you hafta worry about me and Aidan?"

"Because," Ginger answered honestly, "I can't do this without you. We get a new commander? Fine. Jeff leaves? Okay, I can deal with that too. But if _you _leave, I've got no reason to stay here. Got it?"

"You'd have Cinda."

"Trust me, Cinda's on the verge of leaving, too. If you left, she'd follow, no questions asked. And if both of you are gone, then I'm out too." She paused, a look of despair flashing in her blue eyes. "And unlike you, I don't have a boyfriend to go home to. In fact, I don't even have a _roommate _to go home to anymore. No offense."

Lisa suddenly felt guilty. "What about Shannon? He'd be crushed if you left the team."

Ginger shook her head. "Thank _God _Aidan stopped me at the wedding. That would've been just another disastrous hook-up under my belt."

"Maybe you should stop drinking obscene amounts of gin. That might help."

Ginger shook her head. "If you can't drink at an open bar, then when _can _you drink?" She grinned playfully. "Seriously, Lis. This team is all I've got left. I have nothing else outside of this. And if you and Cinda leave..." Her voice trailed off, and she looked away from her roommate and down at her fingernails.

Lisa nodded in understanding. "I'll stay. For now, anyway."

* * *

Out on the balcony, Larmina rested her arms on the rail and looked out into the vast lands that comprised Pollux. She looked sad and thoughtful at the same time. Sven knew what she had called him out there to talk about, but he didn't know why.

"You loved her," she said accusingly.

"Yes." No need to go into anything further.

"She loves you too, and you took the chicken way out." Larmina gripped the railing, clenching her teeth together so that the tears wouldn't make their way past her eyes. "She freakin' loved you, Sven. That week she was with us...I never felt better. She understood me. She _got _me. And I got _her_. I knew how much she loved you." She wrapped her arms around her torso in a self-hug. "I don't understand why you loved her but you wouldn't stay with her."

The Norwegian sighed. He didn't know what to tell the Lady of Arus. "Things are complicated," he said finally.

"That's what _she _said."

Blast that Lenora; they always had been on the same wavelength. "What would you like for me to say? I loved Lenora. I still love Lenora. But she wouldn't have me. She wouldn't accept the terms I laid out at her."

Larmina looked up in shock. "And what terms would those be?"

Sven thanked God for the fact that Pidge had come up with those injections, otherwise he was sure that his Haggarium rage would be out in full force. "Why do you feel the need to drill me about my old girlfriend, Lady Larmina? Because, I assure you, it's doing no good for anyone!"

She looked back over the railing, her aquamarine eyes a well of sorrow. "I miss her. She was the only person who understood me, and now she's gone. And she's probably never coming back, because of you." She looked over at him again and locked eyes with him. "That would be the reason why I ask you for all of this information. Because I can't get it from my teammates. I can only get it from _you_. And I feel like you owe it to me."

Sven exhaled and cursed in his native tongue. "You're cruel."

"I don't care. It's a means to an end."

"You certainly act a lot older than you are, my dear." He paused, crossing his arms over his chest. "On the night of the ball, I was ready to divorce my wife and seek full custody of our son. Lenora wouldn't allow me to. She lost her father at fourteen and wouldn't let my son lose his mother." He looked out onto the Polluxian landscape with her. "Then Romelle came to Arus the following morning, giving me an ultimatum: either come back to Pollux with her, or file for divorce and lose my son. She won."

"Wow." There was silence between them for a few moments, then she looked up and over at him. "Is it true? Was she really like me when she was my age? That's what Keith and Lance keep saying, that I remind them of her."

Sven smiled. "I haven't spent enough time with you to know that. The only thing I do know is that you seem to be passing fond of Blue Lion, and that's all." He smiled. "But that's good enough for me."

She sighed. "I'd like to know more about her."

"Then you should ask _her_. It would do nothing but kill me."

"Sorry."

"Come on. We need to get back in there, otherwise people are going to start talking." He grabbed Larmina's arm and dragged her back into the castle and into the ballroom, where he noticed that Romelle was still dancing with Erimar, looking enchanted.

As much as he hated to admit it, they looked rather good together.

* * *

Once they'd landed the Albegas mecha and returned them to their proper bays in the hangar, the team headed to the locker room to strip out of their flight uniforms. In the many months since they'd begun flying, they'd become quite good as a team. Aidan had proven himself to be a competent leader, Taye's piloting skills were growing unmatched, David's gunning was impeccable, Morgan's navigational skills were second to none, and Christiane's technical skills were rivaling the Space Marshal's. Aidan was proud of his team.

"You guys are kicking butt and taking names." Kelly appeared in the locker room, already stripped out of her First Officer uniform and dressed in her street clothes. "I am so impressed. I betcha Hawkins would be too, if he were actually here anymore."

"Dude, speaking of which," Aidan glanced at his watch, "I've got a date with his wife. I wish the guy knew I've spent more time in his triplex with his wife in the last six months than he has."

Morgan rolled her eyes. "Dalloway, you shouldn't talk like that. And you shouldn't be spending that much time with Len."

"Why not?"

"One, you've got Lisa. And two, Len's a married woman."

Aidan shrugged. "I think of it a different way: Hawkins is spending time with my girlfriend. So I'm spending time with his wife. Nobody's doing anything illegal or immoral, unless rooting for the Patriots over the Giants is considered immoral in the state of New York."

"Which it is, by the way," Taye shot out. "_No_ to the Pats."

"Oh, so we're in the clear. Nobody in that triplex is rooting for the Pats."

Kelly coughed, trying to change the subject. "What are you guys doing tonight? You wanna get something to eat? And, more importantly, something to drink?"

Aidan shook his head. "Nope. Got a date with the Space Marshal. Rain check?"

"Oh, get out of here." Kelly swatted him on the butt. "And stop calling it a date. It's not."

"Okay, then. I'm off to my non-date. See you guys tomorrow."

Taye reached for Kelly's hand. "We were gonna go to Sullivan's. Are you three in?"

Morgan and David looked at each other and nodded. "Don't have to ask us twice. Chris, Honey? Are you in?"

Christiane nodded. "Anything to take my mind off Jeff. I hate it when he leaves. And unlike our fearless leader, I don't have anyone else whose significant other is on the Explorer to hang out with."

Morgan reached for her hand. "Come on, Baby. You know we'll always take care of you."

She nodded. "I know. You're my family."

Sullivan's Bar was busy, but not overly-crowded, which made it easy to find a table to accommodate them. The group of five sat down and looked over the menu, but not before ordering a couple of pitchers of beer. They decided on the usual bar treats - wings, burgers, and nachos.

"The heroes of the realm," David joked. "Seven hells."

"If this is wrong, I don't wanna be right," Taye quipped.

Christiane quietly sipped her beer and contemplated breaking away from the group and going home. She missed Jeff, and having had him for only a few days was like torture. She wasn't really in the mood for partying or drinking or going out, not while she watched Taye with Kelly, or worse, David with Morgan. Not that she begrudged any of them their happiness, but it was hard for her to be out with other couples when her boyfriend was already in space and she wouldn't see him for eight weeks.

"Excuse me for a second, I think I'm gonna use the ladies' room," she mumbled. "Be right back."

She got up from the table and made her way over to the restroom at Sullivan's. It was near the emergency exit, with the glass door opening onto the busy street. As she looked through the glass door to watch the couples on the sidewalk holding hands, she continued to feel sad and lonely. Yes, she'd missed Jeff before, but it had never been as painful as this.

_I should leave_, she thought to herself in the bathroom. She splashed some cold water on her face, trying to bring color to her cheeks. It didn't work; it seemed like her sadness sucked all of the color out of her face. Gazing into her lackluster turquoise eyes in the mirror, she made the decision to tell the crew that she was going home.

As she walked out the bathroom door, she heard a familiar voice ask, "Christiane Kogane?"

Before she could even turn her body to reply, she felt something hit the side of her head. As she fell to the floor, she vaguely remembered seeing Sky Marshal Wade's cruel smile in her line of vision before she blacked out.


	6. Fallen Empires

_Author's Note__: So this is my last update before I get back on a plane and go back to reality. It's a little on the long side, but I don't think anyone will find that to be a problem. I am really enjoying this story, and I hope everyone else is too. I didn't want to leave a cliffhanger at the last chapter - I'm not cruel - so I busted my hump to get this chapter out. I hope you all approve._

_WARNING: There's some violence._

_To Emie Mac - All three groups will definitely get together on a certain planet to win back the lovely Christiane. It'll be a three-mecha showdown against Lotor and Wade. And if you haven't figured out the planet yet, well, there's a reason this book is called "Icicle."_

_To Sally On - I'm trying to make this story into a good read. Wait 'til you see what else I have in store for our friends on Pollux in this chapter..._

_**Title Song: "Fallen Empires" by Snow Patrol **__(If you can have this song playing in the background when you read this chapter, so much the better - its frantic pace really goes along with the storyline__.)_

* * *

_The boy with the unruly blue-black hair needed to be restrained. He was crying, screaming, writhing against the people trying to hold him back. "YOU CAN'T TAKE HER!" he screeched, tears spilling out of his turquoise eyes and down his face. "YOU CAN'T! SHE'S ALL I HAVE LEFT!"_

_One of the women holding his arms, an older woman in her early fifties, gently smoothed his hair back. "Shh, Keith, it's all right," she said soothingly, watching as her co-workers took the younger girl out of the room. "Your sister will be safe, I promise."_

_Even her heart broke at the terrified look on the girl's face. "Keith! Don't let them take me!" the girl wept, struggling against the women trying to usher her out of the room. "You promised me you'd protect me! You promised!"_

"_CHRISTY!" Keith screeched. He looked up at the older woman, pleading. "Please don't separate us. Please. She's my sister. She's only eight. Our parents are dead and I can't lose her, too. Please. PLEASE!"_

_The older woman was truly sorry. If it were up to her, she wouldn't separate the siblings. As it stood, they were now wards of the state; the state had every right to do what it needed to do to care for these orphaned children. She held onto the boy tightly, smoothing his hair and placing shaky kisses on his arm as he watched his sister being ushered out of the room._

_She didn't realize at the time that the boy wouldn't see his little sister again for another eight years. And that when he did, he wouldn't be able to accept it._

* * *

When Aidan awoke with a jolt, he wasn't sure where he was, but the lack of sunlight filtering in through the window told him that it was very early in the morning. Maybe about 0500 hours. Where was he? Rubbing the top of his head, he remembered. He was in Commander Hawkins' triplex, in what looked like a guest room. He remembered drinking too much with Len last night, partially because he could, but mostly because he was missing Lisa.

_Seven hells. I told Len that I missed Lisa._

Wandering out of the bedroom, he made his way down a flight of stairs to the first floor of the triplex. He really had to learn how to stop talking while he was drinking, particularly when he was drinking with his ex-girlfriend. A horrifying thought came to him. Had he tried to put the moves on Len while he was drunk? Oh, seven hells, that would be _so _bad. He hoped he hadn't.

Lenora was already dressed in uniform, frantically pacing around the kitchen to make hot water for coffee and tea. "Aidan," she greeted him hurriedly, running her fingers through her damp hair, "we have a problem."

"No. No problems allowed before coffee." Aidan was adamant.

"Fine." She pulled the whistling kettle off the stove and poured its hot water into a mug containing a green tea bag, then took another mug from underneath the coffee maker. "Here. I know you take it black."

"Good memory." Blast it, why did she have to remember that little fact about him? It was too intimate. As he took a sip, feeling the caffeine run through his veins, he felt better. "Okay, what problems are we having?"

"I got a call from Morgan less than an hour ago. Do you know what time it is?"

"Nope."

"04:42."

"Seven _hells_, it's too early."

"I know. Aidan, after you left practice last night, Morgan and David went with Christiane, Kelly and Taye to Sullivan's Bar for dinner. Morgan told me that they had just ordered food and gotten their drinks when Christiane went to the ladies' room. She never came back."

"Uh-oh." Aidan sipped more coffee. He had a feeling this conversation was going nowhere good, and he was going to need more caffeine. "Did she go home? Have they tried calling her?"

"No and yes. She didn't go home, and they've tried calling her dozens of times. There's no answer, and they've left so many messages that the mailbox is full. I told her I'd go in early and check the DNA tracker."

"You got a DNA tracker?"

"Yes. I don't have everyone's DNA on it, but I do have everyone from Albegas, the Vehicle Team and the Explorer. I told her I'd use it to track her down this morning."

"Dude, Len, that thing's expensive."

She sighed. "I know it. But it's Christiane. I have to do it." She looked over at him as he downed the last of his coffee. "Finish getting dressed. You're coming with me."

"Really?"

"I don't think my husband," she said dryly, "would appreciate you being alone in the triplex."

"Oh. I try to forget about him. Be right back."

* * *

Morgan hadn't slept. She had cried instead.

"I shouldn't have let her go to the bathroom by herself," she sobbed, wracked with guilt, as she cocooned herself in her husband's arms. "If I had gone with her, she would've been okay."

"Honey, there's no way of knowing that," David tried to console her, placing kisses all over the side of her face. "Besides, she's twenty-eight years old. You can't accompany her to the bathroom like she's your child."

She looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. _Right, _he thought to himself. _She considers Christiane her responsibility._ He didn't need to be reminded of her connection to Christiane through Keith. He saw enough of Keith every time he glimpsed at the tattoo on his wife's lower back.

Instead of saying anything in response, he merely let his wife cry into his shoulder. She needed comfort, and there was no comfort that would come with words.

* * *

Exhausted, Kelly made her way to the Space Marshal's office. It was an ungodly hour, they never started this early. Then again, it had been an ungodly evening. She found Lenora seated at her computer, flanked by Aidan. "The DNA tracker," she murmured, rubbing her swollen eyes. "You're really pulling out all the stops, aren't you?"

"I've got no other choice. It's Christiane."

The DNA tracker was the most expensive piece of equipment that the Alliance had purchased under the reign of Space Marshal Stensson. It was brilliant in its simplicity - it could track a person's DNA sample throughout the universe like a built-in homing device. The problem was that it was notoriously slow. The universe was a big place, after all.

"Dalloway," Kelly cracked, "do I wanna know _why_ you're here right now after your non-date with the Space Marshal?"

"Besides the fact that he got way too drunk on Extra Stout and had to crash in my guest room?" Lenora replied, not looking up from the computer screen.

"Geez, you're grumpy this morning." Aidan stuck his tongue out at her.

"He was concerned about his teammate."

Kelly rolled her eyes, believing more of the former than the latter.

* * *

She opened her eyes slowly. She was upright, but only because she had been cuffed against..._something_...that way. She turned her head slowly to gather her bearings. Where in seven hells was she? The last thing she remembered was being struck by Sky Marshal Wade at Sullivan's and falling to the floor.

"Ah, Christiane Kogane. Sister of the great Keith Kogane. You're awake."

Wade. She struggled to lift her head upright. It was pounding from the blow she'd taken. How long had he been there? How long had she been chained up to this whipping-post like some S&M queen? And whose sick idea was _that_? It couldn't have been his.

Moving over to her, he lifted her chin up so she could look him in the eye. "You must be wondering why you're here, little one."

"You could say that," she mumbled, hoping her tongue was working right. "Amongst other things."

Wade laughed. "Oh, the cross and the shackles? All Lotor's idea."

She narrowed her eyes at him. _Lotor? As in King Lotor of the Drule Empire? Seven hells, am I in trouble._

"You must understand, Christiane, that you are the key to taking down both Voltrons and Albegas, do you not? Do you really think that your boyfriend, your brother, and your teammates would not sacrifice everything they have to get you back?" He smirked at her. "Especially since King Lotor has such great plans for you. But I won't spoil that for him. I'll let him introduce you to those plans himself."

As Wade backed away from her, she could see glowing eyes in the background. His white hair was unchanged, but the scar across his purple face was new. And priceless. She realized with a sickening jolt that Voltron must have put it there, hence the reason the king would have such a hatred for her.

It was then that her vision came back to her, dancing around in her mind like it was taunting her. _Purple. Icicles. Wade. Lenora with the muscular man's arm. Oh, seven hells._

"Christiane Kogane," Lotor greeted her simply. "At last, we meet. Sky Marshal, if you will excuse us."

Wade gave a curt nod. "Of course, King Lotor," he answered before leaving the dark room.

It was just Christiane with her captor. "You do realize, my dear," he purred, "that because of you, the empire known as the Galaxy Alliance will fall, don't you?"

She didn't answer. She stared into his cat-like eyes instead. Waiting. Wondering. Expecting...what?

Lotor lifted his hand, caressing the side of her face. "Your skin is so soft, my dear. You're a very pretty girl." Horror trickled down her spine as he removed his hand. Being a seer, she knew what he was going to do from even that limited contact, and she readied herself for the impact as he dashed that same hand across her face, striking her hard and splitting her lip. She tasted blood in her mouth.

Then his lips were on her split, bloodied one; he tasted her blood as he forced his tongue into her mouth. She didn't fight it. She knew it would be worse if she fought against him, and she needed every last bit of strength she had if she was going to get out of this situation.

"That's just a taste of what I can offer you, my dear," he said finally, withdrawing from her. "I will be back soon."

She didn't doubt that he would be.

* * *

The transmission coming into the Space Marshal's office was less than encouraging, but at least it gave them a lead. It was a pre-recorded transmission from somewhere in deep space, its whereabouts encrypted, but when Wade's face showed up on the screen, they knew who her captor was.

"Space Marshal Stensson," he announced with that maddening smirk on his face, "I hope you've had a sleepless night. I have suffered many, many sleepless nights since you took over the Alliance in my stead."

"Son of a..." Aidan muttered.

"Regardless, I hope you realize that I am the one who took Christiane Kogane. She is safe with me on the ship I am sharing with General Cossack and King Lotor, though I am not sure how safe she is with Lotor. Please await further instructions. Until then." The transmission cut off.

"Wade. It was Wade." Kelly looked at her fearfully.

"Why would he want Christiane, of all people?" Aidan asked.

"Didn't you hear him?" Lenora replied. "He's teamed up with Lotor. Oh, seven hells, that's why they wanted Chris. Take down the Alliance and Voltron at the same time. That blasted Wade, he knew. He knew that Chris was on the Albegas team, he knew that her boyfriend was captain of the Vehicle Team." She paused. "He knew that her brother was captain of the Voltron Force."

"Space Marshal, what do you want us to do?" Kelly questioned her.

"Officer Asimov, you contact Sargeant Benton and get him to the hangar. Captain Dalloway, you contact Sargeants Rackens and Feld and get them to the hangar. Tell me, does anyone on your team know anything of systems analysis?"

"Benton might," Aidan replied. "He's spent enough time with Christiane to have picked up on it."

"Good. Because I'd get in there with him, but I'm afraid of what might happen if I receive a live transmission from Wade and I'm not here." She paused to collect her thoughts. "It doesn't matter; I can do it from long-distance if I had to. Then your team will be on stand-by. Once I get a lock on her with the DNA tracker, Albegas is off."

Kelly nodded. "I'll contact him and get him moving, but _I'm _not going anywhere, Space Marshal. I'll stay in the office with you."

"Thank you."

"But I'm out." Aidan looked down at Lenora. She looked so tired and stressed. She looked up at him with those sad chocolate-brown eyes, and his heart clenched into a fist.

"Be safe, Aidan," she whispered to him, rising from her chair and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Come back safely. I don't want you on my conscience."

He kissed the top of her head. "Don't worry, I'll come back safely. Later, Kell." He raced out of the office, whipping out his cell phone to wake up David. That was, if David and Morgan had even slept at all.

* * *

Sparks looked up from the control panel he was always stationed at on the bridge of the Explorer. "Commander Hawkins?" he addressed the commander. "Incoming message from Galaxy Garrison. Would you like to take the message publicly or in your chambers?"

Hawkins stood from the main seat on the bridge. "I'll receive the message in my chambers, Sparks. Thank you."

He left the bridge and made his way to the first bedroom down the hallway, which was designated as his chambers, and turned on the viewing screen. Although she was his wife, he saluted her onscreen image while at the same time admiring how a woman could look that good at such an early hour. "Space Marshal."

"At ease, Commander." She lifted her eyebrows. "Why are you in full uniform so early? You should be sleeping."

"I could say the same thing to you. And you should know that I don't sleep well without you. I never do." He shot his wife the naughty grin that she was so fond of.

She shook her head. "If only I could say that. It would be so much easier than what I'm dealing with right now. We have a situation here, and I've got Albegas on stand-by. I'll need you to put Voltron on stand-by as well."

"What happened?"

"Christiane was kidnapped last night. Then, this morning, I received a pre-recorded transmission from Wade. He's taking full credit and responsibility for her abduction, and he informed me that he has joined the Drule forces and is on a starship with King Lotor right now."

His mouth dropped open, fearing the worst for Jeff's girlfriend.

"That's why I need you on stand-by, Jon. I'm using the DNA tracker to get a lock on her, and once I get it, I'll send the signal to Sparks." She closed her eyes. "I have a bad feeling about this. Wade _and _Lotor? They're trying to take down the entire Alliance, Arus included."

"Because Christiane is Keith Kogane's sister."

"Exactly."

Hawkins exhaled. "I will tell Jeff when he wakes up. I trust that you will take care of telling the Lion Force."

"That's next on my list."

"Very well. You should get to it. I won't keep you." He looked at her, his stomach growing heavy. "I love you, Lenora."

"And I love you, Jon." She saluted. "Space Marshal out."

* * *

Vince could not believe that Keith had designated him in charge of the morning perimeter scan. True, there weren't that many people left in the castle - Keith, Allura, and Larmina were still on Pollux; Lance and Daniel were still on Brann - but the cadet still couldn't believe that the captain had chosen him to do it instead of Pidge or Coran.

He had a mug of hot chocolate in his hands. At seventeen, he still hadn't developed a taste for coffee or tea. The hot chocolate on Arus was better than on Earth, it was a little less sweet. Vince liked it that way. He'd always preferred bittersweet chocolate.

"Well, nothing on scan," he noted to himself, slightly disappointed that Larmina wasn't there and he hadn't seen her practicing yoga on the balcony. He would have liked to have seen _that_. He knew that both he and Daniel had a crush on Allura's niece. Where that would go for either one of them, he couldn't say.

He was distracted from his thoughts on Larmina when he saw the blinking light on the control panel, informing him of an incoming transmission.

When the Space Marshal's face came onscreen, he stared at it in shock for a moment before saluting. "Space Marshal Stensson!" he cried out.

She smiled back at him. "At ease, Cadet." She noticed that he was alone in Castle Control. "Where is everyone?"

"Hunk's still sleeping. Keith, Allura, and Larmina are on Planet Pollux for a wedding, and Lance and Daniel are on Planet Brann." Looking up at her sheepishly, he asked, "Is there anything _I _can help you with, Len?"

"Vince! You know that's no way to address the Space Marshal." Pidge came up behind him and saluted. Lenora saluted back. "Now then, what can we do for you, Len?"

"Hey, _you _just called her Len," Vince pointed out.

The Space Marshal exhaled. "Oh, Pidge, we have a situation. In short, one of my pilots has been kidnapped by Wade - who, incidentally, has joined forces with Lotor - and I need the Voltron Force to be on stand-by. Because I have a bad feeling that we _will _need help."

"Keith and Allura are on Planet Pollux," Pidge replied. "I'd like to help you, but I'm afraid that those two have the final say. I'll alert Lance on Planet Brann and tell him what's happening, but I think you should contact Pollux and tell Keith right away. I can put you through to the castle control on Pollux if that'd make it easier."

She nodded. "That would be wonderful. Thank you, Tech Sargeant Stoker."

"You're very welcome, Tech Sargeant Stensson."

She smiled at that, being reminded of her roots. "I appreciate that comment, Pidge. Thank you for your help. Space Marshal out."

"Likewise." Pidge then patched the transmission to Pollux.

Once the screen went dark, Vince looked over at Pidge. "What do you think Keith and Allura will say?"

Pidge shrugged at the cadet. "Vince, I don't know. I wish I did."

* * *

The after-wedding brunch was delicious. Keith and Allura exchanged a naughty glance at each other, remembering their lovemaking from the night before. She loved how Keith had desperately ripped her out of the lilac dress, filled with the urgent need to be inside of her. She was sure that Larmina was picking up on the vibes, because she looked like she was about to be ill.

Erimar was sitting next to and chatting up Clarissa, which was not sitting well with Romelle. Though she herself had a very nice evening with her own husband, fraught with lovemaking that finally allowed her to kiss him, she couldn't help but feel anger surge through her veins as she looked over at the prince and the way he placed his hand on the queen's thigh. _Did he bed her last night? _she thought obsessively. She decided to make it her mission to find out.

The noticeably absent guests were, of course, the king of Pollux and his new bride. Drakar, Bandor's personal guard, had made sure that they spent their wedding night undisturbed, much to the dismay of the many well-wishers who were eager to see a new era for Pollux _and _a new heir to the throne.

It was Drakar who came to the gilded dining hall now, frantically in search of someone. "Captain Kogane," he announced worriedly, "I have an incoming message for you in Castle Control. It's from the Garrison."

Sven placed his fork down on his plate at the words, and before he knew what he was doing, he stood up to join Keith. Romelle stood up with him, gripping his hand in a show for Erimar, and followed him to Castle Control. She noticed that Keith had already grabbed Allura's hand and was dragging her along with him, and Larmina was following closely. It had to be bad news. No one would contact Keith on Pollux if it wasn't dire.

Once they were in Castle Control, Sven flipped the switch to gain access to the image onscreen. His nerves were on fire, burning so hot that he never thought to drop his wife's hand as the image came up.

His mouth dropped, and he saluted, as did Keith, Larmina, and Allura. "Space Marshal Stensson."

If she was surprised to see Sven holding Romelle's hand, she hid it well. "At ease," she said wearily after saluting. "I've been saying that all morning."

_Is that his wife? The princess of Pollux is his wife?_

"Len, what's the situation?" Keith asked, cutting straight to the point. "I know you wouldn't have contacted us on Pollux if it wasn't an emergency."

She sighed. "No, I wouldn't. And I know you appreciate bluntness, Keith, so I'll just lay it on you. One of my pilots was captured last night, and I need help getting her back. I received a feed from Wade - he's responsible, and he's teamed up with Lotor in an effort to take down the Alliance. _All _of us."

"That's terrible!" Allura cried. "How can we help, Len?"

"I need you to be on stand-by with Voltron, Allura. I already have my team on Earth, as well as Vehicle Voltron, on stand-by." She drew in a breath. Other than saying no to Sven's proposal on Arus, this was the hardest thing she had ever done. "I am using a DNA tracker to find her right now, and I'll tell Pidge that as soon as I do, I will send the signal to you and to the Explorer."

"Len, I don't know," Keith answered. "You've got the Vehicle Team on stand-by. Why do you need us as well?"

"I don't know how well my teams are going to do, Keith, and I need all the help I can get. You see, this pilot is not just one of my five Albegas members, she's also Jeff's girlfriend."

A slight smile played on Keith's lips at the thought of his old roommate actually having a girlfriend. "I still don't know, Len. Two mecha? You ought to have this situation more than covered with two mecha."

She closed her eyes. She had lied to herself; this was _worse _than telling Sven no. "Keith," she said softly, as gently as she could, "they took Christiane."

Lenora watched Keith's expression shift like mercury. A thousand changes at once...anger first, then worry, betrayal, sorrow, fear, guilt...an entire host of unnamed emotions swept across his face. "I'm sorry, Keith. I am so sorry."

"We're leaving Pollux. Now," he informed her. He somehow kept the emotion out of his voice. "As soon as you get the tracking signal on her DNA, you let me know. The Voltron Force will go wherever we have to go to get her back. Captain Kogane out." He saluted and dashed from the room, not bothering to wait for Allura or Larmina.

Lenora glanced over at Sven, still holding his wife's hand. _Well, it's now or never. _Her Norwegian was rusty - it wasn't as though she'd had anyone to practice it with in the last ten or so years - but she remembered enough. "Sargeant Holgersson?"

"Yes, Space Marshal?"

She swallowed, hoping she was getting the pronunciation correct after all this time. _"Hun er søsteren."_

He looked shocked that she was speaking to him in his native tongue. Or rather, that she had even remembered his native tongue. But even more shocking was the information she'd just relayed. _"Det er fornuftig. Hvordan kan jeg hjelpe?"_

The confused looks on Allura's, Larmina's, and Romelle's faces said it all. Most of all, Romelle felt unbelievably hurt that this woman was communicating with her husband in his native tongue, while she herself had never learned a single word in Norwegian.

The Space Marshal cleared her throat. _"Være på standby."_

He nodded. _"Hold meg oppdatert."_

She drew in a deep breath, one that shattered her heart. _"Jeg vil, takk."_

It was now or never. Slate-blue eyes stared into her chocolate-brown ones, even as he held Romelle's hand in his. _"Love deg, min elskede."_

She shook her head. _"Jeg elsker deg også_, Sven. Space Marshal out." She saluted, then shut off the transmission.

Three confused faces turned to him as the transmission cut off. "Well?" Romelle asked impatiently, still gripping his hand. "What did she just say?"

Sven still stared at the blank screen, not daring to move his eyes. "She said that she needs me to be on stand-by as well, and she will keep me updated on the situation. Allura," he continued, looking over at the princess, "I think you and your niece had better follow Keith. He's going to be waiting on Arus for the Space Marshal's transmission."

Wide-eyed, Allura nodded. Inclining her head, she grasped Larmina's hand and rushed back to their guest rooms, where she knew they would need to pack up in a hurry to get back to Arus. As they left, Romelle turned to Sven with knowing in her eyes.

"She was the whore in the backless dress, wasn't she."

Sven paused, drawing in a deeper breath than he ever thought possible. He would not lie to his wife. "Yes, Romelle. She was."

Romelle nodded stiffly, letting go of his hand as she did. "I will speak with you more on this matter once everything is settled with Keith. Until then, I wish you good luck, and I hope you are all able to defeat whatever evil it is that has captured this girl."

He kissed her. "Thank you. And I will discuss everything with you, I promise."

Leaving for the hangar, he felt a profound sense of relief, mixed with an overpowering feeling of dread. He knew that his wife was not going to like what he had to say.

* * *

Once the transmission was over, she buried her face in her hands. The sorrow was overwhelming. It didn't matter that she was married, it didn't matter that she loved her husband with her whole heart. As soon as she saw him, holding hands with that blond princess wife of his, her entire being had shattered into a million pieces.

"Space Marshal?" Kelly asked carefully. Her First Officer hadn't left her side the entire morning. "Space Marshal, if I didn't know any better, I'd swear that was Norwegian you were just speaking."

Of course. Of _course _Kelly would know; as one of her Academy floormates, she knew that Sven had taught her Norwegian. She knew that the Space Marshal hadn't practiced the language since graduation, when Sven left for Arus. She was asking the question, but she already knew the answer.

"Yes, Officer Asimov. That was Norwegian I was speaking in."

Her First Officer came over to her carefully, rubbing her back. "Permission to speak freely, Space Marshal?"

"Granted."

Lenora looked up to see tears filling Kelly's eyes. "Oh my God, Len. Sven's still alive. And you were just speaking to him in Norwegian. Oh my _God_."

She smiled wryly. "Did you see that blond whose hand he was holding, Kell? That's his wife. The princess of Pollux is his wife." She swallowed. It felt like a boulder was moving down her esophagus. "They have a son. His name is Erik."

Kelly lifted her eyebrows. "And how, pray tell, do you know all of this?"

Lenora proceeded to tell her everything. She told her about the ball on Arus, the backless dress, the sad song, the way Sven had come down the staircase looking for her. The way he'd slipped the wedding band on her finger. The many times they'd closed the deal in his bedroom. The guilt she'd felt when she realized that he would tear his son away from his mother for her, and she couldn't leave Jon for him because of that. The reason she moved the wedding date up because she couldn't deal with the shame she felt over cheating on Jon. How she had been harboring this secret for seven months and had told no one, not even Morgan.

Kelly wiped the tears out of her eyes. "Oh, Len. I'm so sorry. I know how much you loved Sven. This must hurt so much."

She buried her face in her hands again. "It does, Kell. And it's never going to get any better."

"What about your husband?"

She drew a deep breath. "If it's possible for me to be in love with two men at the same time, Kelly, then I am. I love my husband. I am completely in love with my husband. But when Sven comes around...I love him so much, Kell. I have always loved Sven, and I never stopped loving him. Not even when I said _I do _to Jon did I stop loving Sven."

Kelly shook her head sadly, continuing to rub her friend's back. "Oh, my dear, you are _so _messed up."

"Yeah. Tell me about it."

* * *

Jeff was always nervous when he was called into Commander Hawkins' chambers. It was like he was a little kid being called into the principal's office; it could only mean that he was in trouble. But he knew he hadn't caused any problems. How could he have? They hadn't even been in flight for twenty-four hours.

Hawkins looked at him wearily, propping his head up on his desk with his hand. He looked stressed and worn-out. Briefly, Jeff wondered if this man - his commander, his old friend's husband - was still up to the charge as the head of the Explorer.

"Jeff." He motioned for him to sit across from him at the desk.

He sat. "Commander, what it is? Is there Drule activity? Do we need to be on stand-by for any action?"

The commander nodded. "We've been on stand-by since before you woke up, Jeff. I heard from the Space Marshal this morning. There's been an abduction from the Garrison, and both mecha have been put on stand-by while she does a DNA tracking."

Jeff stopped breathing. He felt like the blood in his veins had turned to ice. "Commander, who's been captured?"

Hawkins shook his head sadly. "I'm so sorry, Jeff. Wade and Lotor have kidnapped Christiane."

Jeff's head spun at the commander's words. Horrified, he lunged for the wastebasket by the commander's desk, where he proceeded to throw up on learning that his girlfriend had been captured by the enemy.

* * *

_**Hun er søsteren**__: _"She is his sister."

_**Det er fornuftig**__: _"That makes sense."

_**Hvordan kan jeg hjelpe**__: _"How can I help?"

_**Være på standby**__: _"Be on stand-by."

_**Hold meg oppdatert**__: _"Keep me updated."

_**Jeg vil, takk**__: _"I will, thank you."

_**Love deg, min elskede**__: _"I love you, my beloved."

_**Jeg elsker deg også**_: "I love you, too."


	7. New Divide

_Author's Note__: So now I'm back home, writing this as my (real-life) husband sleeps in bed next to me. See, THAT's dedication. As always, I own nothing except my characters._

_To bknbu - Glad you're enjoying the story! I too have a feeling that Keith will go postal._

_To Emie Mac - Aidan is in "don't panic" mode so he doesn't lose his head. If the captain freaks out, the entire team freaks out. But inside, he's really worried._

_To Sally On - In agreement, our friends on Pollux are definitely cursed. Though I think our friends on Earth are as well._

_To Wade Wells - You'd better get that K/A fic out soon so I can read it! As for Sven & Len, well, I don't think we've heard the last from those two..._

_**Title Song: "New Divide" by Linkin Park**_

* * *

Jeff felt like he was in a walking coma. All he could focus on was how Christiane had told him no, that she didn't want to marry him just yet. Now she might be gone forever, and he never got the chance to settle down with her. He'd never have the chance to make a life together with her. If she didn't come home, he didn't see how he could go on with his life.

He was so deep into his thoughts that he didn't hear the rush of footsteps approaching him. "Jeff!" he heard her cry out, but he could barely acknowledge her call. "Jeff, we just heard the news! Oh my God! How are you holding up?"

It was a stupid question, and later on, he berated himself for the way he answered her. But in the thick of the moment, he couldn't understand how she could even think of asking him such a stupid question. "Really, Lisa? _Really? _How in seven hells do you _think _I feel right now?"

Lisa paused, turning red and trying to collect herself. "Oh. I'm sorry I asked, Jeff. I just wanted to check on you." She bit her lip, trying not to take his verbal assault personally, and she turned and walked away from him.

* * *

"Keith? Are you going to say something? _Anything?"_

He heard the words coming from Blue Lion, but he didn't know who had spoken them. It could have been Allura, but it just as easily could have been Larmina. He was in such shock right now, he couldn't differentiate his girlfriend from her niece.

He flew Black Lion at its top speeds back to Arus, despite the fact that he knew Allura would never be able to catch up. _Yeah, that's just another way I'm a miserable failure, _he thought bitterly. _I couldn't protect Christiane, and now I'm treating Allura like she doesn't matter. Nice going, Kogane. Way to ruin every relationship with every woman you'll ever care about._

"Keith, it's me. Allura. Answer me. And slow down, will you? Blue's not as fast as Black."

"I'm sorry." He gritted his teeth together. "I..._can't_."

Larmina looked over at Allura from the backseat. "What does he mean, he can't?" she questioned her aunt. "Man, this is not the way Keith acts at all. I wonder, what's wrong with him? And who's this chick that's got him so upset?"

Allura shook her head. "I don't know. I've never, ever - in all the years I've known him - _ever _heard him mention a Christiane."

Larmina shrugged. "Do you think she was somebody who helped him when he was on the run for all those years, trying to find Black Lion?"

"I don't know. Maybe." She thought about all of the men she'd met, known, and loved in the time Keith was gone. None of them had ever been Keith, though one of them had come very close. She would be foolish to believe that he hadn't loved a woman or two in the time he was gone. With a typical detachment, she refused to let that thought bother her.

Keith heard their conversation over the intercom, but he said nothing. They didn't know, and he wasn't about to tell them. The emotions running through his veins threatened to break him. Worse still, there was a little voice running around in his head taunting him with the words _You got what you deserved_.

* * *

Daniel sat quietly in the back of Red Lion as he and Lance lifted off from Planet Brann. Pidge had sounded worried when he contacted them, so the two Voltron Force members made a hasty exit, much to their disappointment. They hadn't expected to like the fire planet so much.

"Anadora was really sweet, huh?" Lance asked the cadet as Red cleared the planet's wavy-hot atmosphere. "I never thought I would find an older, red-skinned woman to be so attractive, but man, she was really something, huh. Could make a man of my caliber change his ways."

Daniel snickered from the backseat.

"Hey! You don't think I could change my womaniz - um, charming with the ladies - way?"

"Well, you do have a certain, uh, _reputation _to uphold."

"Blast it. I knew that was gonna come back to bite me in the rear end."

Daniel snickered in the backseat while Lance flew, a smile on his face. As much as the cadet could be impulsive, annoying, and immature, he could also be fun to hang out and joke with. He could see traces of himself in Daniel when he was that age at the Academy. There was definitely potential in the cadet, it just needed to mature a little more before it could come out.

He changed the topic. "So, what do you think Pidge wants from us? He sounded pretty concerned when he contacted us."

Daniel shrugged. "Could be anything. All he told us was to get back to the castle. I don't think it's an invasion, though."

Lance shook his head. "Me neither. I think that if Arus was under attack, he'd tell us that. Hey, you wanna contact him again? Let him know we're on our way, then see if we can wrestle the information from him?"

"Lance, you are the master."

"I always have been."

The pilot opened the communication channel between the castle and Red Lion. As he twisted his torso slightly in his seat, he could feel Anadora's ring in his pocket. He had no idea what he was going to do with it, other than _not _give it to Allura. She had Keith to buy her jewelry now; she didn't need any from him.

While he hailed the castle, Daniel piped up from the backseat, "Hey Lance, have you given any thought to that ring Queen Anadora gave you?"

"Nope. Not yet." He knew there was a reason for him to have the ring in his possession, though. He just didn't know what it was yet.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Kelly stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She'd been awake for quite a few hours now, and the exhaustion coupled with the atmosphere in the Space Marshal's office was beginning to get to her. The tension was so thick she could probably karate-chop her way through it.

It was awful to think about Christiane on a starship somewhere, being held captive by Wade and Lotor. Hadn't that poor girl suffered enough tragedy in her life? She knew that, in the Albegas hangar, four pilots stood ready on stand-by, and three of them felt incredibly guilty about their friend being kidnapped right under their noses. She did, too - she had been there, and cursed herself for not realizing what was happening as it was happening.

Yet that was not the worst of it. Not for Kelly.

Of course the situation was bad, Kelly wouldn't ever deny that. But what was worse was the Space Marshal's admission. That she was in love with two men at the same time. That she had cheated on one with the other. And that the one she had cheated with had cheated on his own wife in the process. It was unacceptable.

_It's a completely different situation, _she tried to tell herself, staring back at her hazelnut eyes in the mirror. _What she had with Sven and what I had with Mo are two completely different things._

When Kelly first met Modoch, he was what everyone referred to as "the gentle giant." She was taken with him, not just because of his good looks and formidable size, but because of his laid-back, easy-going personality. The fact that he was a loyal member of the Vehicle Team was merely an added bonus.

Kelly had loved Modoch with her entire being - heart, body, soul - and on some level, she still loved him more than Taye. She had moved in with him once she was sure they were a solid item, and she never regretted it...until the day she found him in their bed, locked in a compromising position with the female bartender from their favorite dive bar.

She could come up with a million excuses for his behavior, but the biggest was Wade and the fact that he had disbanded both Voltrons. Without the Vehicle Team and the Explorer, Modoch was frustrated, angry, sad, and dissatisfied with his life. It wasn't that he didn't love his girlfriend. He did. But without Voltron, he didn't have that outlet that he needed to alleviate his aggravations in life, and he chose the bartender as a poor substitute.

He lost Kelly Asimov because of it.

Now, looking into her own eyes, Kelly was slightly disappointed in her friend. How could Lenora cheat on Jon? That man loved her more than his own life. That man had saved her from Wade, he'd hidden her in his own homes across the country - and in _Paris_ - to keep her alive. And what had she done in return? She ended up in the bed of her old Academy boyfriend and one-time fiancé, the only thing keeping her from leaving him being the old boyfriend's child.

She knew it wasn't the same thing, but it didn't make her feel any better. To her, cheating was cheating. There were no excuses, no explanations, no good reasons. True, she hadn't walked the proverbial mile in the Space Marshal's high heels, but the First Officer didn't think she could justify the scenario even if she had.

_Well, I'd better get back in her office. I promised I wouldn't leave, and I won't._

As she left the restroom to return to the Space Marshal's office, she couldn't shake off the feeling of dread in her system. The dread that felt like the warning of a new divide in the Alliance and their friendship. She wished that Lenora had kept that secret to herself.

* * *

Her wrists were unimaginably sore. If she closed her eyes and went to the part of her body that was the most uncomfortable, it was her wrists, the discomfort coming from the handcuffing to the cross and the sagging of her body weight. Though, in a close second, her back was stiff from standing for so long. Her split lip, scabbed over, was not so bad. It probably looked worse than it felt.

Lotor had left some hours earlier, but she knew he would be back. She knew much of what he was going to do. He wanted her as his slave. His _personal _slave, serving in his harem to please him until he got tired of her. Even if she hadn't been a seer and learned that information from his touch, it was written in his kiss anyway. He was desperate - desperate for love, desperate for vengeance, desperate for acceptance. In some ways, she felt sorry for him. But she could not forgive him for what he was about to do to her.

"Christiane."

The door opened again, and she squinted at the light piercing the darkness of the room. His cat eyes glowed again, and she heard the crack of some implement he was holding in his hands. A flogger.

"What is it, my lord?" she answered wearily, her eyes pleading with him not to whip her. She had endured so much in her twenty-eight years; she didn't know if she had enough strength left in her body to silently suffer through a torture session with the Drule king. She'd barely made it through the blow he dealt to her face.

"You are a perfect specimen." He licked his lips. "I can see why your Captain Aki is so taken with you. You are to be the crown jewel in my harem, Christiane Kogane. My bride will be Princess Allura, of course, but _you _will be my main mistress and the head of my harem." He touched the side of her face again, but this time she could not see what he was going to do. He was wracked with confusion as to how he wanted to proceed with his captive.

"My lord," she asked, "why would you want a mistress in addition to your bride and queen?"

He grabbed her hair and pulled her chin up to face him. "Because I can." He leaned in to kiss her scabbed lips, and then she knew. She knew what he wanted, and she knew what he was going to do to her.

The question was whether or not she would survive through it.

Still kissing her, he unchained her from the cross and lifted her up, throwing her over his back. He was not ill-made, she had to admit, which made the idea of his torture slightly more palatable. Yet what he was about to do was still unforgivable.

He carried her off to his own chambers, where she knew he would bed her and use her, much like the long line of other young captured women who had come before her. But she knew he wouldn't kill her; he needed her to be alive if he was to use her as his bargaining chip. All she needed to do was get through the act, and then she would make it off this ship and somehow get towards safety.

She just didn't know if she could get through the act.


	8. Big Bang

_Author's Note__: Happy Memorial Day - also known as Summer Kick-Off Weekend! Whoohoo! Just a warning, this chapter is a little bit upsetting. And __I still own nothing except my characters._

_To Sally On - Thanks for the message! You're awesome._

_To Wade Wells - Yes, Lotor DID! And your man WILL!_

_**Title Song: "Big Bang" by Rock Mafia ft. Miley Cyrus (yes, I know, it's also the theme song for **__**Mob Wives**__**...oh well. And if you can't beat 'em, just yell "BIG ANGE!")**_

* * *

Keith paced around the control panel and main computer as Castle Control, hands behind his back as though he was carrying them around. The rest of the team huddled together near the entrance, watching their captain as he looked like he might lose his wits. And his lunch.

"So...does anyone know anything about this Christiane person?" Lance asked in a whisper.

"Nope," Hunk answered. "Not me. He's never mentioned her before. But obviously she means something to him. I've never seen Keith like this."

"I suppose I could do an Alliance data search," Pidge mused. "I don't have a last name, but I'm sure it won't be too difficult - I mean, _Christiane _isn't exactly the most common name of names." He paused. "However, that would also mean hacking into the Garrison's computer system."

"Well, that's not a problem for you, Pidge," Vince encouraged him. "I mean, you're a technological genius! You could hack into their computer system with your eyes closed."

Pidge and Hunk exchanged a glance. "I _could_," Pidge replied, shaking his head, "and if it was Wade in power, I'd do it easily, and I wouldn't give it a second thought. But with Lenora at the helm of the Alliance, I won't go hacking into their computer system behind her back. Our friendship is more important." He grinned. "Besides, she knows my handiwork."

Allura nodded in agreement. "Definitely. We're not sneaking around behind the Space Marshal's back." She glanced back over at her boyfriend, still pacing around nervously as though entire worlds hung in the balance. "Does anyone want to ask Keith?"

"Hey, no offense, Princess, but since you're the one dating him, I think _you _should be the one to ask him," Lance countered.

Larmina leapt to her aunt's defense. "She tried, Lance. We both tried, on the entire ride home from Pollux. Keith's not answering us. So unless one of you guys has a bright idea, I guess we're not gonna find anything out until we hear from Len." She eyed Hunk, Pidge, and Lance warily.

"I vote for Lance to say something," Hunk offered.

"Me? Why _me_?" The pilot looked aggravated.

"You're the second-in-command."

Lance threw his hands up in the air. "Sheesh." Despite his opposition, he was secretly glad he'd been selected to speak with Keith. He was just as curious as the rest of them to find out who this Christiane person was, and he knew that if anyone could beat the information out of their captain, it was him.

But before he had even closed half the distance, Keith shot out warningly, "Don't even think about it, McClain. I don't feel like talking."

* * *

Sammy must have known what the problem was with the Air Team captain. That would explain why, when Jeff sat down at the bar with a disoriented expression on his face, the chef immediately brought him out a half-full shotglass of...what in seven hells _was _it?

"Absinthe, Captain Aki," the chef informed him. "I have a contraband bottle that I keep on hand. You look like you need it."

"Um...okay. Thanks, I think." Jeff studied the clear green liquid.

"That stuff is scary, Mate. I wouldn't drink it if I were you."

Jeff looked up at at the Land Team captain forlornly. "I don't think there's a scary-enough drink in the world to numb how I'm feeling right now, Cliff. I can't get her face out of my mind. I can't stop thinking about her."

"That's okay. That's normal." Cliff sighed, wondering why _he _was the one who always had to talk his friends down off the ledge. "By the way, just in case you're interested, you need ice water, a sugar cube, and a slotted spoon to drink that."

"_What? _And how in seven hells do you know _that_?"

A small laugh escaped from Cliff's mouth. "Let's just say you can't spend as much time with Aidan Dalloway and Lance McClain as I did and _not _learn a few of the finer points about drinking." He paused to look down at his friend. "See? That took your mind off Christiane for a moment, didn't it?"

Jeff sighed. "You probably heard about what I said to Lisa, too."

Cliff nodded wordlessly. He didn't think it was best to go into the semantics of that situation right now. Needless to say, Lisa - being the most compassionate person on the team - understood the situation and had already forgiven Jeff for his outburst.

Jeff buried his face in his hands. "I am _such _a jerk."

"C'mon, Mate. Be a little easier on yourself. You're a traumatized man." Cliff fixed his gaze in the direction of the kitchen. "Oh, Sammy? Could we get all of the _accoutrements _for the absinthe out here, please? I think Jeff needs his drink."

"Certainly." Sammy returned with a pitcher of water and a sugar cube. "Let me see if I can find something resembling a slotted spoon."

As the chef disappeared into the kitchen again, Jeff looked at the green liquid in the glass hesitantly. "Ciroc vodka, it ain't," he cracked sorrowfully. He thought about Christiane again and how much she loved her Ciroc. And how much he loved _her_. "She's the reason I'm alive. Oh my God, Cliff, what am I gonna do without her?"

"You shut your mouth right now, Jeffrey." Cliff looked at his friend fiercely. "We're going to get her back."

* * *

Aidan, Taye, David, and Morgan sat silently in the hangar, seated on the bench by the wall-mounted intercom unit. Each dressed in their Albegas flight suit, no one was in the mood for talking. Morgan, David, and Taye had all been at Sullivan's Bar the night before and hadn't even realized that Christiane had been kidnapped. The guilt weighed heavily on all of them, but mostly on Morgan.

She didn't know why, exactly, she felt so bound to protect Christiane. She hadn't ended up living happily ever after with Keith, so really, no one ever would have blamed her if she truly despised the girl. Or at the very least, not cared about her. But they were bound together anyway; Christiane was seriously involved with one of Morgan's best friends, and as for Keith...Morgan was the link between them. She had known Keith better than anyone, even better than his own sister.

"If I hadn't thought to go to Sullivan's last night," Taye began quietly, "she'd still be here with us right now."

"Oh no you don't, Benton." Aidan stood up and looked down at the red-suited pilot furiously. "Do _not _go down that road. This is nobody's fault except the people who took her. I don't want any one of you to feel guilty about what happened, because it's not your fault. Am I understood?"

"Aidan," Morgan offered up gently, "it's hard _not _to feel guilty."

The Albegas captain sighed. "I know, Morgan. Don't you think _I _feel bad, too? I went off to drink with my ex-girlfriend instead of being with my team. My team needed me last night, and I wasn't there." He paused. "So believe me when I say I _know _how hard it is to not feel guilty over this. But we can't. Because we didn't do it - that blasted Wade did."

His three teammates looked up at him in shock. For as long as they'd known Aidan Dalloway - and for Morgan, it was verging on sixteen years - he had never shown his humility. He'd always been cocky and arrogant, secure in his looks and his masculinity. Morgan could see how Lisa and the responsibility as Albegas captain had changed her old friend for the better.

She liked this new Aidan.

As they sat in total, shocked silence for a moment, the intercom unit on the wall began to blink. "Albegas," Kelly's voice came over the intercom, "we've got a fix on Christiane's signal. It's being loaded into the three mecha as we speak. Go! Go!"

Aidan gave them a wry smile. "You heard the lady. Let's go get Little K back!"

As the hangar bay opened, the black mecha shot out first, followed by the red, and then the blue. As the three robots shot out into the sky, the Space Marshal and the First Officer stood out on the office balcony, gripping the railing and watching. The signal on Christiane had been sent to them, to the Explorer, to Arus, and to Pollux. They were going to get her back.

"Good luck, Albegas," the Space Marshal whispered quietly into the air.

* * *

Her body was sore. It was also damp with perspiration - hers and Lotor's - from both the humid air in his chambers and the sexual acts he'd put her through.

Lotor's chambers were beautiful. He had a four-poster bed, complete with burgundy velvet comforters and bed curtains edged in gold; silk sheets in a muted gold color that were the smoothest, sleekest sheets her bare skin had ever touched; tens of pillows in a variegated assortment of complementary colors. And candles - never before had she seen such an arrangement of candles, it seemed like a thousand flickering lights surrounding his bed.

He had put a lot of thought and effort into seducing her. If she hadn't despised him so much, she could very easily have found herself enjoying the situation.

He hadn't raped her violently as she'd expected. No, he took his time with her. He was gentle, patient, and - perhaps worst of all - masterful. He had teased her mercilessly, tormented her beyond the edge of reason and sanity, brought her to the brink of pleasure and beyond. She was only glad that she had been receiving injections of birth control four times a year, otherwise she was afraid of what the consequences of his actions might be.

She could have fought him off, but she knew that if she had, the outcome would have been much worse for her. King Lotor had sadistic tendencies as well, and if she had fought him, he would not have hesitated to break her with pain. She'd seen his flogger and felt his blow to her face. She was sure he owned far worse implements and could do so much more harm to her than what she'd already experienced.

"Christiane," he murmured to her, trailing kisses from the top of her head and down the side of her face, "you are definitely the crown jewel in my harem. In fact, should the stars align just right for you, I would make you my queen without hesitation."

Staring up at the ceiling, Christiane merely blinked. The only thing that had gotten her through the most intimate moments with Lotor was pretending that he was Jeff. She could do that for a short period of time. Hours, definitely. Days, perhaps. Not a lifetime. Definitely not a lifetime.

She couldn't tell him that. She couldn't make the situation worse, not when she was so close to escaping. She surveyed the room, noting where her clothes and shoes were scattered. She covered her actions with stroking Lotor's hair, caressing his face, and gently rubbing his shoulders. He seemed to enjoy what she was doing, and he closed his eyes as he laid down next to her.

"My lord," she whispered to him softly in the most seductive voice she could conjure up, "you flatter me. You are far too kind."

"Oh, Christiane, the things I would do to you...the pleasure I would give you...all you have to do is tell me _yes _and I will make you the happiest, most satisfied woman in the Denubian Galaxy." He gazed at her lovingly, shooting her a half-smile that she guessed meant that he was truly happy.

"My lord, again, you flatter me." She drew his face in for a gentle kiss, hoping that the sweetness of it would relax him enough to lull him to sleep. "I am honored by your words of praise."

Not used to a woman who didn't struggle against his advances, Lotor found himself falling for the girl. It was a secret pleasure for him that this girl was the sister of that wretched Voltron captain. For Christiane to become his queen might be an even bigger slap in the face than if it was Allura sharing his throne.

She felt the slightest bit relieved as she noticed that Lotor was beginning to drift off into sleep. Once she was sure, she rolled off the bed and dressed herself as quickly and as quietly as she could. When she was fully dressed again, she picked up a small vanity stool in the corner of the room. Bracing herself, she smashed it upon the sleeping king's head, rendering him fully unconscious.

Christiane felt terrible about what she had done, but he'd left her with no other choice. She had to get out of there, and the only way to do it was to ensure that he wouldn't catch up with her while she was rushing to the hangar.

Creeping out of Lotor's chambers and into the hallway, Christiane used the knowledge she's gained from her seer abilities to locate the hangar. Though she wasn't the best pilot, she strapped herself into the smallest jet she could find and opened the starship's hangar door. Her talents as a systems analyst would cover for the rest.

Unfortunately, as soon as she took off, the starship began following her. Shooting at her. She concluded that whoever was piloting the ship must have seen that the hangar door was opened and was shooting at whoever was stealing the ship. She tried to outmaneuver its blasts, but she wasn't good enough, and the pilot of Lotor's starship was much better. A single blast took out her engine, and she felt her small ship falling towards the nearest planet.

The impact was jarring. The small ship tumbled around, sighing and creaking and smashing as though it was going to shatter into a million pieces. Finally, with a big bang, it came to a stop against...an _ice _wall?

She didn't recognize the planet she crashed on at first. The only thing she realized was her communicator was out, her shields were out - everything was out except her visuals, which was how she saw the ice wall. Cautiously, she cracked open the hangar door, and a gust of ice-cold air burst into the ship.

_Icicles. Freezing cold. Blast it, I'm on Crydor._


	9. Whataya Want From Me

_Author's Note:__ So many Voltron lessons...that's the beauty of writing fanfiction. I love creating character backstories. Hold onto the seat of your pants, 'cuz this chapter is about to blow Keith away! I only own the characters I've created, and that's it._

_Everyone wants to know why Keith hasn't said anything about Christiane being his sister. There are a few reasons for this. The biggest reason will be spelled out in this chapter. The second reason is because he can't answer any questions his teammates might ask him about her - he doesn't know anything about her! And the third reason is that he knows that Lance is going to torment him about how "your old roommate's closin' the deal with your SISTER!"_

_To Sally Mac - Poor Keith! He is the master of inner torment right now, and it doesn't look like it'll get any better anytime soon. I think he might need some of Sammy's absinthe, too. (Personally, I've never tried it, but my friend Scott swears by it.)_

_To Emie Mac - Don't worry about the reviews! I'm just grateful that you're reading. :D_

_To Wade Wells - Can I help it if I love Lotor on the side? ;) Because Christiane didn't fight him, he didn't feel the need to break her spirit, which is why he was gentle with her. She's a smart girl, that Little K. As for Keith not mentioning anything about Chris being his sister, well, that's all about to change in this chapter..._

_**Title Song: "Whataya Want From Me" by Adam Lambert**_

* * *

He was back in Castle Control, having found it too difficult to wait in the hangar anymore. Romelle had not been to see him since kissing him good-bye; she was likely in their bedroom or perhaps in the nursery with Erik, brooding over the Space Marshal being the whore in the backless dress who spoke to her husband in Norwegian. So be it. Once this was all over, he would tell his wife everything, including the fact that he cheated on her. He knew she had her suspicions, yet they were still unconfirmed, and perhaps that was the reason it was taking so long for the two of them to move on.

What else could she expect from him?

"Sven! Is it true? Are you really leaving?"

He wasn't expecting it to be Emma, but there she was, standing behind him and looking terrified. She still had traces of eye make-up lingering from the wedding, which made her look even more tired and frightened. "Yes, Emma. I am. But don't worry, I'll be back."

She threw her arms around his neck and clung to him as though she might drown if she let go. "Please don't go," she whispered. "I just married into the Polluxian royalty, and I can't do this without your help."

Exhaling, Sven rubbed Emma's back to comfort her and calm her down. It was, he noted, not unlike trying to calm an infant. "Emma," he said soothingly, "do you remember how you promised me that you'd look after Erik if something happened to me? That you'd make sure nothing bad happened to him? I need you to be strong and do that for me now."

Her eyes widened. "But you're coming back, right?"

He nodded. "I will. But I don't know how long it will take, and I trust you to take care of my son while I'm gone."

"What about _us_, Sven? We're your family."

"I know that, Emma. But the Voltron Force is my family, too." He thought about Lenora's words to him in Norwegian. _Hun er søsteren. _The kidnapped girl was Keith's sister. If _she _didn't qualify as family, then who did? "And right now, my family is hurting. They need me."

Slowly, she nodded back at him. She accepted his explanation, but that didn't mean she had to like it. "Good luck, my brother. Come home safely." She hugged him tightly again and kissed the side of his face.

It was then that they both noticed the blinking lights on the control panel.

"The signal. The Space Marshal's got a lock on the kidnapped girl." Pressing a button, he downloaded the signal into the small Polluxian cruiser he had already chosen and readied for his trip. "I have to go now, Emma. But don't worry, I promise I'll be back."

"I'll go with you to the hangar."

She accompanied him down to the hangar, where his cruiser was ready to take off. Waving good-bye, she watched him start the engine and taxi out of the hangar and down the runway. When he built up speed and lifted up into the air, she choked on a sob.

Sven felt terrible about leaving Emma behind, especially since she was in such a state, but he had no other choice. Bringing up the coordinates that would lead him to Christiane, he paused. A hard knot of dread formed in his stomach - being a navigator, he knew the coordinates off the top of his head. And having been infected with Haggarium, he knew the terrain better than he cared to admit.

The girl was on Crydor.

* * *

Pidge was at Castle Control when the Space Marshal sent the signal with coordinates. "Keith! We've got the coordinates from Len. I'm downloading them to Green right now."

"Cool! We can take off now!" Daniel announced to the entire team. No one had left Castle Control since returning to the castle. "Let's go!"

Keith shook his head with a dark look on his face. "No way, cadets. The three of you stay here. This mission is far too important to bring you along."

Larmina's mouth dropped open. She tried to make a sound in protest, but he preemptively cut her off. "No arguments. Cadets stay here."

"We'd better do as he says," Vince acquiesced. Then, more loudly, he said to Allura, "I just ask that somebody keep us updated periodically."

"We can do that, Vince," the princess replied, worried about Keith's mental stability. As they headed for the elevators to get to the lions, she placed her hand gently on her boyfriend's arm. "Keith? Are you sure you're okay for this mission?"

He glared back at her. "Why wouldn't I be?" he snapped.

She recoiled from his verbal blow. "Because," she responded, a trace of anger slipping into her voice, "you are not acting like yourself, and you won't tell us who this Christiane is. If you told us _why _she was so important to you, then maybe -"

"Then maybe you'd hold it against me." He didn't budge on his stance. "You'll find out when you find out, Allura. And you'll all find out at the same time. Now, I'd suggest that everybody get to their lions so we can take off. Go Lions!"

As the Voltron Force took off down the elevator, the three cadets looked at each other. "Man," Larmina mused, "today he's really earning the name _Crankypants."_

Vince sighed. "You can say that again."

* * *

As the three Albegas mecha darted through space, the only thing that kept them on course was Morgan's superior navigational skills. She charted their movement through space so efficiently that it seemed like they were closing the distance to Crydor in no time.

"You know, Feld," Aidan mused from his cockpit, "you really are one heck of a navigator. The rumors that you're the best navigator in the recent history of the Alliance and the Space Academy really _are _true."

"Thanks, but flattery will get you nowhere with me, Cap," she retorted. "I'm doing this so I can get my girl back."

"Yeah...about that." Aidan exhaled. "You do realize that Len contacted both Voltrons, right? The Vehicle Team and the Lion Force are both coming out to help. Dude, Feld, that means you've gotta put aside your personal issues and make nice with Captain Kogane of the Voltron Force."

Morgan scowled. "What, you think I can't do that for my girl Chris?" Then, in a quieter voice, she continued, "Besides, it's not like I hate Keith or anything."

Aidan smirked. "Really? I distinctly remember hearing you tell him how much you hated him during your last break-up."

Seated in the pilot's chair in front of her, she heard her husband suppress a laugh. "Shut up, both of you," she fumed with a hint of amusement in her voice. "And just so you know, anything a woman tells a man in the midst of a nasty break-up shouldn't be taken too seriously."

"Oof. Is that how you knew Rackens was the man you were gonna marry, then? Because you started dating him and didn't actually break up?"

"Come to think of it, yeah. He was a lot more stable than my previous boyfriend."

"Seven hells," David grumbled. "Could the two of you please stop talking about me like I'm not here?"

From the red mecha, Taye laughed. It felt better to laugh. He turned his head to glance at the empty seat behind him - Christiane's seat. _Don't worry, Chris, we're comin' to get you. We're gonna get you back._

* * *

By the time Commander Hawkins made it back to the bridge, Sparks had already downloaded Christiane's signal and was beginning to chart the Explorer in that direction. Though he was not a navigator, he knew enough to set a course and follow it.

"Excellent. I'll have the team in their mecha, ready for take-off," Hawkins told the bridge crew. Opening up the channels for the announcement system, he spoke gravely. "Attention Voltron Force: We have a signal on Tech Sargeant Kogane. All units to report to the hangar to await further instruction."

Ginger placed her hand reassuringly on Jeff's shoulder. "We found her, Jeff. We're gonna get her back."

Jeff nodded quietly. He felt the first flash of hope shoot through his system. Maybe, just maybe, they would get her back alive.

As the fifteen Voltron pilots dashed to the hangar, the captain could hardly concentrate. The only thing he could think about was his girlfriend. He could see her shining turquoise eyes and her wavy blue-black hair in his mind. Pressing his lips together, he decided that he didn't give a care in seven hells about what she had said to him about marriage only a few days earlier. Once they got her back, he was going to marry her, and he didn't care about what argument she gave him to the contrary. He was never going to lose her again.

Once they were all established in their mecha, Rocky paged Jeff. "Hey Cap, you holdin' up in there?"

"Yeah, I'm holding up, Rocky."

Chip spoke up as well. "You know we're gonna get her back, right? Us fellow tech sargeants, we all stick together."

Jeff smiled despite the situation. He forgot that Chip was a systems analyst as well, one that graduated in their same class along with Lenora and his twin brother Pidge. He always forgot because Chip hadn't lived on their floor - he and Rocky had roomed together in a separate dorm. "I know you won't let her down, Chip."

Cliff then contacted him. "Are you okay to fly with that absinthe in your system, Mate?"

"Yeah, I'm doing alright, I guess. But remind me to _never _touch that stuff again. It's nasty."

"Hey, you can't say I didn't warn you."

"No, Cliff. You did."

He then shut off the communication channels entirely. As much as he appreciated his teammates' concerns and well-wishes, right now he wanted to be alone with his thoughts in the quiet of his mecha. He wanted to focus on Christiane so that he would be ready when Commander Hawkins gave them the signal to take off. And then, maybe, he would get her back.

* * *

Keith hadn't said much on the trip to Crydor. He couldn't believe the situation. How in seven hells had his sister been kidnapped by Lotor and Wade, but then ended up on Crydor, the same planet Sven had lived on before being treated for his Haggarium infection? What were the odds? If he were still living on Earth, he would have bought lottery tickets.

"Crankypants is still being quiet."

"Lance, I will kill you without a second thought if you don't shut up."

Allura sighed over the open channel. As much as she wanted to side with Keith, she could not. "Keith, if you would only tell us -"

"I said no."

She gritted her teeth together. "Fine."

Keith didn't know what they wanted out of him. He couldn't tell them who Christiane was. He couldn't admit to her being his sister. He wanted to, but the words would not escape his lips.

Admitting out loud that the situation was dire - and that it was about his sister - would drive the point home through his skull. It would make the situation _real_. And then, he knew, he would break down over it, the same way he broke down twenty years ago when his parents died and the state took Christiane away from him. How could he lead his team through a successful rescue operation if he was a broken man?

Worse, the guilt was eating away at him. He was truly the worst older brother in the universe, starting from that day at the Academy when he turned his back on her. She loved him and she came to the Academy to find him, and he turned his back on her. He couldn't face the hurt that came with her, and found it easier to walk away. That day, he had only told Jeff and Morgan about her, and he never uttered another word about Christiane Kogane being his sister again. Now she had been kidnapped by two of her brother's sworn enemies, and where was he at the time? He was off on Pollux, celebrating the marriage of his girlfriend's cousin. While Christiane was being tortured, he was making love to his girlfriend, tangled with her lovingly in the exquisite silk-satin sheets of their guest room.

It almost, _almost _made him angry with Allura. Then he remembered that this was the way it had always been with Morgan, and he had sworn to himself that he would not repeat that experience with Allura. He would _not_. He would have to work through this without placing the blame on his girlfriend. It didn't matter how painful it got. He had to work through his intimacy issues.

Allura deserved better, and she was not Morgan.

"Uh, Chief?" Pidge's voice startled him out of his thoughts.

"Pidge. What is it?"

"Now, I'm no navigator, but as a systems analyst, I think you might like to know that we have three unidentified - I guess they're _mecha _- headed towards us. Anything you'd like to do about it before we begin an all-out attack?"

Keith, in his Black Lion, stared at the three oncoming ships. Yes, they were definitely mecha: one red, one black, and one blue. He didn't get a feeling in his gut that would suggest they were fighting for the opposite side, so he decided to hail them. "Attention, ships. We mean you no harm. This is Captain Keith Kogane of the Voltron Force."

All of the channels between the lions were open so that his teammates would be able to hear the response. They just didn't expect to hear the hysterical peals of laughter that they got in return from the main mecha.

"Nah, you don't say, huh."

Lance's jaw dropped open in shock. "I don't believe this. That sounds like -"

"Keith Kogane, you don't need to introduce yourself. This is Captain Aidan Dalloway of the Galactic Alliance's Albegas Team."

"I _knew _it!" Lance screeched. "Dalloway, you jerk, how _are _you?"

"I'll be a lot better when we get our systems analyst back, McClain."

"Aidan," Keith ventured, "thank you for coming. But how did you get out here so fast? Crydor isn't too far from Arus, but it's a heck of a lot farther than Earth is. You guys made really good time."

Over the intercom channels, Aidan flashed Keith a dazzling smile. "Well, Kogane, in case you didn't know, Albegas has the best navigator in the Alliance."

Keith coughed. "Then she's who I'd like to speak with."

"Huh?"

"Put your navigator on, Dalloway."

Aidan sighed. "Oh, boy...Blue Mecha, you're up." He held his breath, as did Hunk, Lance, and Pidge. David looked amused, wondering where this conversation could possibly be headed. It couldn't be going anywhere good.

Stunned, Morgan cleared her throat. She couldn't use the visuals; she just didn't have her heart in it. "Keith?" she spoke gently into the communicator.

Whatever it was, hearing his old girlfriend's voice broke him. "Morgan," he murmured, his resolve weakening. Tears sprang to his eyes, and his throat closed in on his voice. The fact that she was there, looking for his sister and, unbeknownst to her, supporting him at the same time...it broke him. "Oh, Morgan."

"Keith! Keith, stop it! We're gonna get her back! We're gonna get your sister back!"

For a long while after her statement, the last sounds heard over the communication channels were the gasps from the four other Voltron Force members.


	10. Across the Ocean

_Author's Note__: I am so pleased that everyone liked the last chapter. It was a last-minute decision for Morgan to let the proverbial cat out of the bag; again, these characters truly do dictate where this story is going. Thank you to everyone who's reading, and as always, I only own the idiots - I mean, characters - I've created._

_To Cha━ - Thank you for the compliments! I'm glad you're enjoying the story, I hope enough to keep you coming back for more._

_To bknbu━ - I am so glad you're still following along! I love Keith (and Jeff), but I adore Sven. He's my main man._

_To Sally On━ - Oh, Keith. My poor, messed-up, guilt-stricken Keith. The women in his life need to work on him. And our friends on Pollux will definitely have an interesting chat somewhere down the line..._

_To Wade Wells━ - Our poor man! Literally, Keith just couldn't accept it when he saw his sister at the Academy after eight years. He just couldn't wrap his head around it. There will be more to that later. SPOILER ALERT: And if you liked the ending, wait 'til Allura asks her boyfriend who in seven hells Morgan is... (And speaking of, keep working on that fic!)_

_**Title Song━: "Across the Ocean" by Missing Joe**_

* * *

Allura could hear the blood beating in her ears, everything━ - her teammates included━ - was so quiet. Who was this Morgan who broke Keith? And Christiane...this Christiane was Keith's _sister_? Most importantly, was Keith really crying in the cockpit of Black Lion?

Unbelievable.

"Keith? Keith." Morgan exhaled impatiently. "Akira-chan, pull yourself together. You're the captain of the Voltron Force and we have to rescue your sister. You're not allowed to fall to pieces until I say so."

"You tell him, Morgan," Hunk cheered her on.

"Thanks, Hunk."

"Wow," Lance mused. "I think this is the first time Captain Crankypants is actually listening to someone. You're awesome, Morgan. Or should I say, Tattoo Queen?"

She didn't skip a beat. "Thanks, Lemon Drop."

Pidge laughed. "Ouch."

Aidan cleared his throat. "Keith, are you okay in there? 'Cuz if you're not..."

Keith swallowed. "No, Aidan. I'm fine. I just...I'm finding all of this so hard to believe, you know what I mean? Yesterday everything in my life was normal, and today I find out that my sister, who I haven't seen in twelve years, has been kidnapped by Lotor and Wade. And now we're on a wild goose chase to Crydor━ - I'll have to tell you more about that planet later━ - to rescue her, and you're here, and Morgan's here..."

"...with her husband, no less. Hello, by the way," David's British accent shot out cheerfully. "David Rackens. Pleasure to meet the man whose initial is tattooed on my wife's backside." He paused, a deliciously evil grin spreading on his face. "Hello to you too, McClain."

"I hate you, man," Lance mumbled.

"Oh, and that's Taye Benton in the red mecha," Aidan made the introduction. "Little K rides with him."

Keith raised his eyebrows. _"Little K?"_

"Um...yeah. So Keith, how do you feel about being _Big K_?"

* * *

Commander Hawkins continued to stay in the bridge of the Explorer, but he had long since moved from his command seat and was now hovering near Sparks. Sparks was the Technical Sargeant aboard the ship, and being married to a woman who was a tech sargeant at her core, Hawkins knew something about systems analysis. He also knew enough to not step on the toes of the real systems analyst on the ship.

"Sir, we've traced the signal to the Planet Crydor," he informed the commander. "I received an incoming from the Albegas Team, and they are well on their way. However, the Explorer is much larger than those three ships, and will move much slower. I'd say we're about three hours behind Albegas."

"What if we sent the Voltron Force out first, and then we followed?"

"The Voltron Force would get there much faster than we would, Sir, but they wouldn't have us as back-up for at least another two hours."

The commander nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "I think," he said slowly, "that the team would take the risk for Christiane. Besides, we already know that Albegas is out there, and if the Space Marshal has anything to do with it, then I'm sure the Lion Force Voltron will be there as well. If the Explorer isn't there to cover Voltron, then there will be two other giant mecha there."

"So it won't be a problem," Sparks concluded.

"Correct. I'll go tell the Force." Moving back towards his usual spot and the intercom, he paged the team, still waiting on standby in the hangar. "All units, prepare for launch. Chip, as systems analyst, Sparks is downloading the signal into your mecha."

"Roger, Commander," Chip responded.

As the hangar door opened, Jeff's heart pounded violently, so high up in his chest that it was practically in his throat. Once the fifteen mecha were out in space, they began to fly, not bothering to waste the time to form the Strato-Fighter, the Aqua Fighter, or the Turbo Terrain Fighter. They weren't against an enemy per se. They were out to rescue Christiane.

"Jeff," Cliff said to him over the intercom, "are you sure you're up to this?"

He nodded. "If I can't rescue my girl, Cliff, then I have no business being with her."

Cliff thought Jeff might say as much. "In agreement. Carry on, then. And pray that we make it there in plenty of time."

* * *

Even though he knew Crydor━ - he knew the weather, he knew the atmosphere, he knew the terrain━ - he wasn't prepared for the violent windstorm that swept his Polluxian cruiser. Blast it. It had been nearly eight months since he'd been on this God-forsaken planet, and in that time, the conditions had somehow worsened. The small cruiser couldn't handle the windstorm; then there was the whiteout, and then the radio had gone out, and then...crash.

He swore under his breath in Norwegian.

As he stepped out of his ruined cruiser, he closed his eyes, feeling the Black Ice tech take over his system to keep him warm. And protected━ - he had no idea what he would encounter out here. If Keith's sister had crash-landed onto Crydor, then he was sure that Lotor and Wade would come searching for her. If that was the case, he needed to be ready.

Forming his battle axe weapon with his makeshift VoltCom, he began to trudge the terrain, looking for the girl. He had a feeling that he'd better find her soon. She was going to need him.

* * *

"My lord! My lord, are you all right?"

Lotor felt as though his skull had been split in half. "Huh? Maahox, what are you doing in my personal chambers?" he demanded of the occult scientist testily. His eyes scanned the room for his captive girl, the one he had fallen madly in love with. "And where's Christiane?"

Maahox sighed, aggravated. "My lord, the girl you captured has escaped in one of our cruisers. Apparently, she hit your head with something━ - your vanity stool, from the looks of it." He motioned to the busted pieces of the stool littering the floor and the bed. "I just gave you a Haggarium booster to help heal your injury."

Lotor placed his hands on the back of his head. "She did _what_? Blast her, I offered her everything. Everything! I offered her a spot in my harem, I offered to make her my queen, and she does _this _in return? Forget about holding her hostage. I want that girl _dead_."

"Well, I do have to say, for all of Cossack's flaws and shortcomings, he is a good pilot and gunner. When we saw the alert that the hangar door was open, he spun the ship around and shot her down. Remarkable, really. She's crash-landed on Planet Crydor, and seeing how miserable that planet was, I wasn't sure if you wanted to track her down further or just allow the elements to finish her."

"Track her down!" the king barked.

Maahox nodded. "As you wish, my lord. The Sky Marshal is in agreement as well; he believes that we will have a better chance of success if we have the girl in our holding."

"Indeed." Lotor's eyes flashed with Haggarium rage. "Then I shall break out all the instruments of torture, and I will do to her what I _should _have done earlier."

The occult scientist slowly back out of the room, leaving the king alone with his thoughts and fantasies of revenge.

* * *

Crydor was a harsh, miserable, unforgiving planet. Christiane decided that when she made it off this rock━ - and she _would _make it off this rock; she swore to herself that she was going to make her way back to Jeff if it was the last thing she ever did━ - she would only visit tropical locations in the future. The desert? It looked really, _really _good right about now.

She wasn't wearing much, only the street clothes she was wearing at Sullivan's━ - her jeans, a black cashmere sweater over a black T-shirt, and thick wool socks underneath her grey eight-hole Doc Martens. While warm enough without a coat inside the stolen cruiser, there was no way she could go out in Crydor's whiteout conditions and not freeze to death in under a minute. Cursing the busted control panel, she scouted around the small ship for supplies. Maybe there was a blanket or a jacket or..._something_.

Icicles. There were already icicles forming over her screen and on the outside of her ship. Had she really been crashed long enough for icicles to form?

Defeated, she gave up looking. There was nothing on the ship to offer her any extra protection. Not only that, there were no rations. She would die from starvation or freezing before she was ever rescued. So she had to rescue herself.

_And how, pray tell, am I gonna do __that__? Think, Kogane, think._

As she was thinking, looking out past the blurry, frozen-over screen, she saw something coming towards her. It looked like a huge, dark, walking rock. It didn't look like anything the Drule forces might have sent after her, but it certainly didn't look friendly. She shuddered to think about what types of defense the inhabitants of Crydor might have...if there _were _any inhabitants of Crydor.

Whatever that thing was, it swung at the door. Christiane let out a shrill yelp as a battle axe came plunging in through the side of her crashed ship. A pair of muscular arms pried the door apart, letting the ice-cold air into the ship. She shivered violently from the cold, but for some reason, she was not afraid.

Well, it wasn't a rock. "It" had a face, a beard, and slate-blue eyes. He reached his arm out towards her and said in a Norwegian accent, "You must be Christiane. Come with me."

"Please," she responded in a small voice, "I don't know how you know me, but I promise you that Space Marshal Stensson of the Galaxy Alliance will reward you handsomely for my safe return."

His eyes pierced through her. "Christiane," he replied patiently, "I know your Space Marshal Stensson better than anyone else. _And _I know your brother. I will not harm you." He continued to hold his muscular arm out towards her. "Will you come with me now, or would you rather wait for Wade and Lotor to come find you again?"

"Well, since you put it _that _way..." She reached her arm out towards his, and took his gloved hand in her bare one. Cold! He was so _cold_! She shivered again, wondering how she was ever going to survive in the arctic temperature dressed the way she was.

As if reading her mind, he projected the same rocky, Black Ice tech on her body. "Wow, this is weird," she commented, sticking close to her new protector. "How'd you figure this out?"

"It's sort of like a makeshift VoltCom," he replied.

"Um...a what?"

"A VoltCom. It's the implement that the Voltron Force uses to break out their specifically-chosen weapons during a hand-to-hand battle. Your brother's, for example, is a sword. Mine, due to my upper-body strength and Norwegian heritage, is a battle axe."

"Yeah, I noticed." They remained quiet for a few moments until she took a step and slid, crashing right to her bottom. "Ow. You couldn't have warned me about━ - uh, what _is _this, anyway?"

"This, my dear, is Crydor's version of an ocean, completely frozen over," he replied, lifting her back up. "We have to hurry. This time of year, the sun is not up very long, and we have to get to the underground tunnels before it gets dark. Otherwise, we will not survive the long night in the pitch black."

"Okay. So we have to cross a frozen ocean?"

"Yes. Christiane Kogane, you ask a lot of questions, don't you? Trust me when I say that one of the entrances to the underground tunnels is across the ocean. And trust me when I say that you don't want to be out here when the sun goes down."

"Okay, I trust you." She frowned. "So how come you won't tell me who you are? And how do you know my brother and the Space Marshal?"

There was a glimmer of amusement in his slate-blue eyes. "Save your strength for the walk across the ocean, Christiane. You're going to need it. We can talk later."

* * *

By the time Voltron and Albegas reached Planet Crydor, the sun was well into its descent, and there was not enough light━ - or time━ - to even begin to search for Christiane properly. Keith sighed loudly, trying not to break down into tears again. The only thing that made him feel better was the fact that he knew Sven was there on Crydor, too. If anyone had a chance of finding his sister, it was Sven.

"Aidan," Morgan choked out over the intercom, "we're not gonna find her tonight."

Aidan exhaled sorrowfully. "No, Feld. We're not."

Pidge cleared his throat. "Hey, teams? I think we should head back to the castle and discuss our strategy. If I remember correctly from the last time we were here, Crydor only has a limited amount of sunlight this time of year. This time might be better used by coming up with a more effective strategy and navigation path than trying to search for her with dwindling light."

Taye spoke up. "I think he's right," he agreed. "You know Chris is my girl, and I'd hate to leave her out in the wilderness overnight, but I think the kid's got a point."

Morgan shuddered.

"Keith, Pidge and Taye are right," Allura spoke gently. "I think we need to regroup at the castle and come up with a better strategy. This won't work."

Keith slumped his shoulders, but he agreed with them. There was no time, and as long as Sven was there to help Christiane get through the night, then she would be better served by them coming back in the daylight. "All right, teams. Back to Arus."

"Not without us, you're not going."

Keith's mouth dropped open when he heard the voice over the intercom. The voice of his old friend, the voice of his old roommate. The voice belonging to the Captain of the Voltron Vehicle Team.

Also the voice that belonged to somebody he needed to beat up when he got ahold of him, but that was beside the point.

"Amigo!" Morgan screeched through the intercom. "You guys made it!"

"Morganza," he replied in a serious voice, "are we ready to go down there and get her back?"

Aidan took the heat off his navigator. "Aki, we've decided to regroup at the Castle of Lions on Arus. The sun is setting on Crydor, and fast; you know we'll never find Chris before it gets dark. Captain Kogane and I made the executive decision to go back to Arus, re-strategize, and come up with a new flight plan to allow us to maximize the sunlight tomorrow."

Of the twenty-three mecha hovering near Crydor, all of them could hear Captain Aki slamming his fist down on the control panel so forcefully it might have broken. "Then I guess we have no other choice. Blast it, Dalloway, you couldn't have told me this sooner?"

Cliff rushed to Aidan's defense. "Jeffrey, calm down. Don't forget, you were of no use earlier today when you found out the news, especially not with Sammy's absinthe in your systerm."

"Dude! You drank _absinthe_?" Aidan and Lance asked at the exact same time.

Even David laughed. "Seven hells, Jeff. You're the man."

Jeff scowled. "Could we please talk about something other than my earlier inebriation? I'd like to get Christiane back as soon as possible."

Keith bit his tongue to keep from lashing out.

Crik spoke up next. "I'll contact the commander and let him know to go to Arus and not to Crydor. Then we'll make up the rest of the plan. We've got a navigator and a systems analyst, right?"

"_Two _systems analysts," Chip spoke up. "Three, if you count Sparks."

"CHIP!" Pidge screeched.

"Hey, Pidge," Chip greeted his twin. "And hello to you too, Hunk."

"Yo, Chip, nice to have you around again," Hunk answered, a smile growing on his face.

Allura interrupted. Her head was reeling; there were too many thoughts and ideas, too many new people, too much going on! "I suggest we all get back to the castle now, and we can catch up later. Once we're back at the castle, we'll gather together the necessary crew to make up a game plan, and we'll head back to Crydor at the best time tomorrow morning."

_And then you can tell me who all of these people are, especially this Morgan who's got your initial tattooed on her back._


	11. Wild Ones

_Author's Note__: My friend PinkyStarflower suggested that I describe the royal nursery on Pollux, and I think that was a darn good idea. Thanks, Pinky!_

_As always, I thank everybody who's still reading and following along, and I own only my characters._

_To Cha - Thanks for your message. I'm glad you like the story and the characters, and I'm really glad you're still following along._

_To Craze - I like the ideas! I think I may work a couple of them into this chapter and the next. Thanks for reading!_

_To FroofyB - I'm always glad to have a longtime SLY follower onboard! Allura is one tough chick, and she's only going to get tougher once she meets the crew from the Academy. And don't worry about her relationship with Crankypants, he's going to learn something very interesting about his girlfriend down the road..._

_To Sally On - Oh dear, there is so much that's going to happen with Keith, Morgan, Jeff and Allura under one roof. I don't know if the castle is big enough. And be prepared to see more of Sven's battle axe._

_To Emie Mac - Hi, Love! I'm glad you're still reading & enjoying. Yes, there is going to be some very, uh, __spirited__ interaction involving one navigator, one Amigo and one Captain Crankypants. In fact, look for it to start in this chapter, it's gonna be a doozy..._

_**Title Song: "Wild Ones" by Flo Rida ft. Sia (so this song is my guilty pleasure...just so everyone knows, this was my song before it got overplayed on the radio!)**_

* * *

The nursery on Pollux was one of the best rooms in the castle, probably even better than Romelle's or Bandor's royal quarters. It was also one of the largest rooms in the castle, able to accommodate living quarters for three nursemaids in addition to the children - Erik for now, and who knew what would happen in the future? There were now two royal married couples in the castle.

Romelle looked around the cheerful room, done up in creams and various shades of yellow, watching her son sleep. It was a pleasant place, a little sanctuary adjacent to her bedroom that she had insisted upon while she was pregnant. Though it had only been a little over a year since the nursery had been decorated, it seemed like a lifetime ago. So many things had changed in that time that the princess could hardly wrap her head around it.

The late-day sunlight filtered in through the large picture windows, causing her to believe she should wake Erik and feed him so that he would sleep through the night. Some days, she questioned her ability to parent. It didn't matter if Sven loved her or not, the reason she was still so angry with him was because he took her son away from her. Yes, in her head, she knew the reasons why - he would be killed, the baby might be killed - and they were certainly valid, but irrationally, she still couldn't forgive him for it.

As she watched Erik and contemplated the idea of waking him, one of the nursemaids walked in and curtsied in front of her. She recognized the girl as Rosalie, the youngest nursemaid. "Yes, Rosalie?"

"Your highness," the girl answered, "the prince of Tyvel has come to say good-bye."

_What? Erimar's leaving? No! _Choking on the lump of anxiety rising in her throat, Romelle nodded curtly. "Let him in."

Rosalie looked back at her curiously. "You would allow him in the nursery, your highness?"

"Yes, of course. Let him in."

She nodded. "As you wish, my lady." She rose and went to the door, where she let the prince into the nursery. Once Erimar stood before Romelle, she gave another quick curtsy and exited the room to let them have privacy. Though Romelle doubted that she'd left the vicinity entirely and was probably eavesdropping. Blast those nursemaids.

The auburn-haired prince inclined his head toward the seated princess. "Romy, I've come to say good-bye. I've had a wonderful time here on Pollux, and I enjoyed your brother's wedding tremendously, as I have the company of your entire family."

She nodded. "I'm glad. But I don't want you to leave yet."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

She stood up and closed the distance between them, taking his hand in hers. "Erim, please don't leave yet. My husband has gone off to help the Voltron Force, and I would like very much for you to stay here and keep me company in his absence."

"Romy, I am not going to replace your husband."

"No, you are not," she agreed. "But I would like your company while he is gone."

He looked amused. "_My_ company, specifically? Surely, my dear, you can find someone whose company is more suitable than _mine_."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Who, then? Queen Clarissa of Exxus? The woman whose bed you were in last night?"

Surprisingly, he laughed. "Romy, are you kidding me?" he shrieked, unable to keep a straight face. "Rizz is the most insufferable wench I have ever met in my entire life." His expression calmed, and he looked sad for a moment. "Rizz was promised to my brother Erkhon. The two of them were supposed to be married a few years after Zarkon attacked. Obviously, that never happened - he was killed in battle, and she was kidnapped, raped by Lotor, and rendered unable to marry on a broad spectrum of levels." He looked sorry for the queen.

Romelle's mouth dropped open. "Oh, my goodness. That would explain everything. I am so, _so _sorry, Erim."

"Me too."

Without thinking or even realizing what she was doing, she moved over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "My brother Avok was killed by Zarkon. He was turned into a robeast and was defeated by Voltron. Then Zarkon's ship blasted my father, and he was killed as well." Her eyes filled with tears as she turned her head towards her son's crib. "Don't you think it kills me to know that my son will never know my father and my older brother?"

Erimar stroked her hair, trying to calm her. "Romy...I'll stay."

* * *

The cadets welcomed the Voltron Force back to the Castle of Lions. They weren't expecting to welcome the Albegas crew as well.

"So who's Christiane?" Larmina asked her aunt in a whisper. "Did Keith tell you?"

Allura glared back at her. She was angry, but not with the cadet. "She's his sister."

Larmina's mouth dropped open so wide, she was surprised her jaw didn't hit the floor. "His _sister_? How did you find out that little nugget of information?"

"Oh, his ex-girlfriend told us."

Even Daniel and Vince heard that line. They looked at each other and shrugged. "How is his old girlfriend around?" Daniel asked.

"Oh...she's with the Albegas crew. And don't ask me what she looks like. She wouldn't turn on the visual. So I have no idea what she looks like." Allura trembled with both anger and fear. She was so angry with Keith for a multitude of his wrongdoings, and so afraid that he would leave her for his old girlfriend. It didn't matter that this Morgan was married. People left their spouses all the time, and it wouldn't be a problem for Keith to leave her. After all, she was only a girlfriend.

"Allura? Are you okay?" Pidge asked, placing a hand on her forearm.

The princess nodded. "Yes, thank you, Pidge. I'm okay. But I think we need to meet this Albegas team and see what we're dealing with here."

"They landed in front of the castle, Princess," Hunk informed her. "I told Aidan to leave the mecha there, 'cuz there's nowhere else for them to land. They should be in the main hall of the castle by now."

"So why are we still in Castle Control? Let's move to the main hall and greet them properly."

Accompanied by Coran and the cadets, the Voltron Force made their way down to the main hall of the castle, where their guests stood waiting for them. Having been informed by Keith of their arrival, the castle staff had allowed them entry, and the four of them stood in wait.

It was easy to pick out Aidan. With his sapphire eyes, long blond ponytail with matching facial hair, and black-and-white uniform, he was difficult to miss. Taye, with his cocoa-colored skin, shaved head, and black goatee, was recognizable in his red-and-white uniform. Lance had no problem identifying David with his mop of unruly brown hair, grey eyes, smooth-shaven face and blue-and-white uniform.

And then there was Morgan.

Breaking away from his team, Keith picked up the pace and trotted towards the woman with the violet eyes and black shoulder-length bob. Feeling like he was about to cry again, he choked back a sob before murmuring, "Oh, Morgan."

"No. Keith, don't do this. You're gonna make me cry, too."

Allura and her teammates watched in horror as Keith wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her shoulder. It was as though he could not stand up and needed her to support his weight. Sighing, she kissed the side of his face and stroked the back of his head soothingly. "Shh, Akira-chan. It's all right."

_Akira-chan? What is this __Akira-chan__? _Allura wondered with alarm.

Morgan used the sleeve of her blue-and-white uniform to wipe away the stray tear that ran down Keith's face. "Don't worry, Love," she told him. "I promise you, we're gonna get her back."

Next to her, Aidan made some wretched fake-vomit noise, and Lance laughed so hard he nearly fell over.

"Sorry, guys," Hunk apologized for the both of them. "We're just waiting for the fighting to start again. 'Cuz, you know, you two were good for that. Really, _really _good for that."

Pidge snorted with laughter behind him.

Morgan rolled her eyes as she broke away from her old boyfriend. "Thanks a _lot_, Tsuyo. I'm glad that instead of remembering how much Keith and I loved each other, you remember how much we fought instead."

Aidan broke out into hysterical laughter.

"Shut _UP_, Dalloway!"

Hiding his face in his hands, Aidan shot out, "Yeah, about that 'great love' business...hey McClain, how many times did poor Jeff have to sleep on the floor of your room because Keith always wanted to be alone whenever he and Morgan broke up?"

Now both teams were in hysterics. Keith and Morgan, of course, failed to see the humor in it.

"Dude!" Lance laughed. "Jeff used to sleep on my beanbag chair like it was his second bed or something. I always wondered what the heck happened to that thing."

David let out snort of laughter. "What, that beat-up red beanbag chair? Don't you know that thing's in Jeff's quarters on the Explorer?"

"I _knew _it!" Lance shrieked. "I am going to steal that thing back, then beat the crud outta him when he gets here. Provided, of course, that Captain Crankypants here doesn't beat him first for closin' the deal with his sister."

Aidan winced. "Ooh, _harsh_."

As the teams laughed again, Allura studied Morgan. They looked nothing alike, except maybe for the fact that their uniform colors were blue. Moving over to Keith, she wrapped her arm around his waist and looked up at him. "Keith, you haven't introduced me to your friends yet."

Keith looked back down at her. "Oh, of course. Albegas, this is Princess Allura of Planet Arus. Allura, this is Aidan Dalloway, Taye Benton, David Rackens, and Morgan Feld - I mean, Rackens." He flushed slightly as he corrected himself. Allura noticed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Allura greeted them properly, shaking their hands. Her handshake lingered on Morgan, and Keith's former and current lovers sized each other up. Morgan, being married, didn't feel threatened by the princess. Allura, already knowing that she would have to measure up to the ex-girlfriend, did.

"I'm sensing a catfight in the near future," Lance hissed to Hunk and Pidge.

"Ooh, are we taking bets?" Hunk asked. Pidge laughed to himself and shook his head.

Once Allura broke away from Morgan and returned to Keith's side, Aidan raised an eyebrow. "Hey McClain, since we're here for the night and all, what have you got to drink in this place? I mean, _after _we plot a course for Crydor and figure out tomorrow's plan of action, of course."

Lance smirked back at him. "Bombay Sapphire."

"Uh-oh. And the Vehicle Team is coming here, too? I sense an encore to the Lemon Drop Incident. When Lance's room is a-rockin', don't come a-knockin'."

* * *

It was nearly forty-five minutes later when Commander Hawkins hailed the castle from the Explorer. Allura, for once, was excited to meet someone. She knew that her friend Len had married the commander, and was curious to know the man who had beaten Sven out for the Space Marshal's heart.

"You can land the Explorer in Lake Arus," Allura instructed the commander over the intercom, "and I will send out a Voltron Force member to escort you back to the castle."

"Yes, thank you," he responded. "But could you also send David Rackens? I'll need his help with Jeff. The captain is a little bit...out of sorts at the moment."

Confused, she replied, "All right. I'll send David and a Voltron Force member out now."

Well, that was certainly interesting. She thought about it - who could she send out to escort the crew from the Explorer? Lance didn't get along with David, and Keith? Keith would probably murder Jeff. As she shut off the transmission, Allura contacted Hunk on her VoltCom. "Oh, Hunk?"

"Yeah, Princess?"

"Could you please take Daniel and David Rackens to Lake Arus? The Explorer is docking there, and I'll need the three of you to escort the team back to the castle. And the commander specifically requested David to help him with Jeff, whatever that means."

"Sure. I'll grab 'em now." Hunk looked up from his VoltCom and turned his head towards Daniel. "Hey Danny Boy, the princess has requested our help in getting the other Voltron Force back to the castle. And David, apparently Commander Hawkins requested for you to come along."

Aidan rolled his eyes but said nothing.

* * *

Keith felt much calmer now that Morgan was there with him. He found himself inextricably drawn to her, much the way he always had at Academy. He knew that she was married, and he knew that he was going to get an earful from Allura tonight, but he didn't care; he felt better surrounded by people who knew him _and _his sister.

Then there was Jeff...oh, he was going to kill his old roommate. When he'd originally told Jeff about Christiane, when he'd originally asked him to keep an eye on her while he was on Arus, he did _not _mean that Jeff should fall in love with her. Though he supposed that it was better that Jeff was actually in love with her, instead of just casually closing the deal with her.

Morgan, as always, somehow knew what he was thinking, and squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Keith, you need to see the two of them together," she informed him gently. "Jeff really does love her. They were friends for a long time, and then he escorted her to Len's induction ceremony, and then they got really serious, really quick."

Aidan stood up quickly and stared at the doorway. "They're here," he announced ominously. "Oh, Aki."

Slowly, the Vehicle Team filtered into the main hall, each with a concerned look on his or her face. Finally, with Hunk and Daniel leading the way and clearing a path, Commander Hawkins and David helped carry Jeff's inebriated body into the main hall.

"Oh my God! _Amigo!" _Morgan screeched, rushing over to his side. "Jon, what happened to him?"

"Apparently, there was a stash of Ciroc in his quarters," the commander answered grimly as Morgan took her friend's face in her hands. "I don't need to tell you what happened after the team headed back to the Explorer without Christiane."

She sighed. "Oh, Jeffrey."

"Morganza," Jeff looked up at her, slurring his words slightly, "I'm just regular drunk. Not stupid hungover drunk. I'll be okay tomorrow, I promise."

David exchanged a glance with his wife. "You'll need to help plan Christiane's rescue tomorrow. I'll stay with Jeff for a while. Ginger will help me."

She nodded. "All right. Princess Allura, could we have your assistance, please?"

Allura didn't want to help the woman with the violet eyes, but she did anyway. "You must need a room for him."

"Yes, please."

Internally rolling her eyes, Allura touched Jeff's arm. _This__ was Keith's Academy roommate? _"Captain Aki? I'm Princess Allura, and you're going to go with my niece Larmina. She's going to help you to a bedroom."

"Thanks. Sounds good," Jeff slurred in reply.

Larmina shot her aunt a dubious look, but said nothing. On the bright side, though, it was a good opportunity to get to know Lenora's husband a little better. "All right, you three," she announced, "come with me, and we'll find the captain a room."

"I'll join you in Castle Control as soon as I'm done," Commander Hawkins told Morgan. "Cliff! You're going to Castle Control in Jeff's place."

Cliff saluted. "Yes, Sir."

As the commander, David, Ginger and Jeff followed Larmina, Allura led Keith, Aidan, Cliff, Morgan, Chip and Pidge to Castle Control. She hated the fact that Morgan had to go with them, but out of the three teams, she was the only navigator. If only Sven had been there; he could have substituted for this woman.

"Let's bring Crydor up on the screen," Pidge suggested. "Morgan, if we can come up with Crydor's coordinates and approximate sunrise, how soon can you come up with a pathway?"

She snorted. "Under twenty minutes."

* * *

Once they'd gotten Jeff into bed, and David and Ginger had set up next to him to make sure he didn't go into acute liver failure, Larmina escorted Commander Hawkins to Castle Control. She cleared her throat. "So, uh...you're married to the Space Marshal, right?"

He nodded. "That's correct."

"I saw your wedding photos. She sent them to me."

He raised his eyebrows with a discreet smile on his lips. "So how do you know my lovely wife?"

"I met her when she came to Arus for the week. We bonded. And we did yoga together. I miss her all the time. She just _got _me, you know what I mean?"

"So you must be her Mina."

Larmina nodded proudly. "That's me."

Hawkins gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well, I'm glad to finally meet the young lady she calls her other half. She's told me about you, cadet. Bragged about you, even. She said that you remind her of herself when she was your age."

The cadet beamed. "Could you tell me anything about her?"

He laughed. "I can tell you _lots _about her. Though I'm afraid I can't tell you anything about her Academy days. She _is _ten years younger than me, after all. I was already serving on the Explorer, and had been for five years, when she started at the Space Academy." He winked. "We'll go meet your aunt in Castle Control, and when we're done, I'll tell you whatever you'd like to know."

She smiled happily. Larmina felt safe with the commander, and she imagined that Len would, too. In fact, she couldn't see any reason why the Space Marshal would have chosen Sven over the commander. Why choose a dark, brooding Norwegian when she could have the pleasant, handsome, well-spoken commander?

She smiled to herself at the thought.

It was a good thing that Larmina felt safe and protected with Hawkins, because the air was thick with hostility once they reached Castle Control.

Morgan sat at the computer, forging the best pathway from the Castle of Lions to Crydor. She was flanked by Chip and Pidge, who were running Crydor's solar system and weather patterns alongside the navigation unit. The three of them acted as a fine-tuned machine, practically shutting out the rest of their friends and teammates in the room. Except for the fact that Keith was standing over Morgan's shoulder, narrowing his eyes at the flight pattern.

"I don't understand why you want to sneak around the north side of the planet, Morgan."

She sighed. _"Because," _she explained matter-of-factly, "the sun rises on the north side of the planet. It's not like Earth, Keith, where the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. If we want to take advantage of all of the available sunlight, we've gotta start on the north side and work our way around."

"Hmm." Keith crossed his arms. "I'll bite. What time do you have us getting to Crydor?"

"It'll take forty-two minutes at top speed for the mecha to get to Crydor, longer for the Explorer. The sun will rise on Crydor at approximately 10:47 Arus time. If we leave here by 1000 hours, we'll make it with minutes before sunrise."

"Good." Keith nodded bitterly. "That way Jeff'll be recovered from his binge drinking and can help us rescue his _girlfriend_."

"And the fight begins," Aidan muttered quietly to Cliff. "I knew it wouldn't take long." They both took a step backwards towards the commander, and the twins stood up from their chairs and backed away from Morgan.

The navigator whipped around in her chair and glared at Keith, anger radiating out of her violet eyes. "Leave him out of it, Kogane," she shot at the Voltron Force commander. "He does love her, and he's obviously devastated about this whole situation."

"Don't cover for him, Feld," Keith retorted darkly. "And I don't appreciate the fact that he's been seeing my sister behind my back."

Hawkins opened his mouth to defend Jeff, but Cliff stopped him. "Don't get in the middle, Sir. Just back away quietly like the rest of us."

"Dude, I _so _did not miss this," Aidan added.

"Seeing your sister behind your back." Morgan mulled over the words for a moment. "Funny, she's been more like _my _sister than _yours _for the last few years, and _I_ don't seem to have a problem with it. Why do _you_?"

"The gloves are off!" Pidge announced. He tugged at Aidan's sleeve. "We'd better get out of here."

"No kidding," Chip agreed.

"I'll go with that," Cliff nodded in assent. "Mate. Commander. We've got a game plan for tomorrow morning. I say we head back to the main hall for the evening and let these two kill each other. Princess Allura? I don't suggest sticking around. This _will _get ugly."

Allura looked confused, but as she glanced back at Keith and Morgan, both with rage painted on their faces, she decided to just trust the Australian pilot and do what he suggested. Taking Larmina's arm, she muttered, "You heard the man. Let's leave these two alone."

The rest of the team left Castle Control, leaving behind only the captain of the Voltron Force and the navigator for Albegas to hash it out.

* * *

Jeff was snoring, which was decidedly better than the alternative of throwing his guts up. David was reclining in a chair next to his bed, and Ginger had been sitting cross-legged at the foot of his bed for the entire time they'd been in the guest room. "You think he's okay, Dave?" she asked tenderly, smoothing his unruly hair.

"Yeah, he'll live." He smirked. "I just don't know how in seven hells he'll feel tomorrow."

Briefly, Ginger felt bad about how her relationship had ended with Jeff. He was just a rebound after graduation; he was never anyone she was serious about, and they had joked about it many times throughout their charge on the Explorer. But Jeff had never loved her, not really. And certainly, Jeff had never loved _anyone _the way he loved Christiane Kogane.

"I was thinking the same thing." She stretched her arms overhead. "I think I'll go back down to the main hall, Dave. See if I can find the rest of the crew."

He nodded. "I'll be here."

Ginger exited Jeff's room and stepped out into the hallway, trying to remember how to get back to where she'd come from. The castle was large, and she wasn't used to standing on solid ground, anyway. She was much more used to the familiar layout and feel of a starship.

"Are you looking for the rest of your team, or are you looking for _me_?"

Startled, she froze in the hallway. She felt the smile creeping onto her lips, and she felt her body thaw as she recognized the voice. "Cadet McClain."

"Cadet Ellington." Lance came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "I've missed you, Lemon Drop."

"I could say the same to you, Lemon Drop." She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I have half a mind to beat you senseless. You have ruined every relationship with every other man I've been with since you left."

He looked hurt. "You've been with other men?"

"Oh, don't act like you haven't been with any other women."

The hurt look didn't fade away. "Nobody ever measured up to you, though, Gin."

"Well, _that's _not very Lance McClain-like."

He smirked. "No. And neither is this." He tilted his head down towards hers to kiss her.

The shock of it burst through Ginger's skull. She withdrew at first, but after gazing up at his hazel eyes and beautiful lips, she realized just how much she had missed him. She kissed him back, more eagerly this time, and figured that her team could live without her for the night.


	12. Icicle

_Author's Note__: This chapter has been a long time coming. I have been looking forward to the first couple of segments since I was working on SLY - therefore, the reason I wanted to write a second book. One of the reasons, anyway._

_I'd like to thank everyone who's still reading this story, as well as everyone who's checked out my latest one-shot, "This Isn't Everything You Are." My readers are the best!_

_To Cha - Thank you for your messages. I truly appreciate your comments and suggestions, and I take them to heart._

_To bknbu - Allie & Romy are definitely two cousins who shouldn't be messed with, and their significant others are going to find that out in this book. As for Jeff...well, once the drunken stupor wears off, he'll find that an angry Keith is ALMOST as tough to deal with as Lotor and Wade._

_To Sally On - Crankypants is working on it. He's working on it!_

_To Emie Mac - Poor drunken Jeff. (As long as WE know he's a good guy, right?) As for Sven being on Crydor, Keith has yet to mention that little fact to the rest of his friends and teammates, though Allura and Larmina know he's on stand-by._

_To Wade Wells - Girl! Thank you for your feedback! I'm using one of your suggestions in this chapter. Expect to be hearing more from me soon._

_**Title Song: "Icicle" by Tori Amos (For those of you not familiar with this song, I suggest learning more about it. Yes, it sounds like it's about icicles, but there are a lot of metaphors that go way deeper than that.)**_

* * *

_Angelie Nabors-Stensson had no idea why her daughter wanted to meet with her at the Russian Tea Room. Yes, they'd often get together for dinner, but never in a place so fancy unless there was a special occasion attached to it. And there was no such special occasion right now. It was too early to be celebrating Lenora's graduation from the Space Academy; there was still one month to go. _

_It was a Monday night, which made it just slightly easier to get a seat in the restaurant. The beautiful bar area was as busy as usual, and Angelie slid between patrons, garnering stares as she did. Though she was well into her forties, she did not look it; with her chestnut-brown hair swept back in a twist and her little black dress clinging to all of her curves, she could have easily passed for her daughter's older sister._

_She noticed her daughter standing up from her seat at the booth. With her right hand, Lenora waved excitedly, dressed in a semi-formal strapless dress with a black bodice and a cream-colored tulle skirt. She smiled with her black-painted lips._

"_Hello, my love," Angelie greeted her daughter with a hug and a kiss. Looking down at the booth, she discovered her daughter's boyfriend of nearly five years, Sven Holgersson, seated and looking slightly nervous. "And hello to you too, Sven."_

_He stood up quickly and leaned forward to accept a kiss from her. "Mrs. Stensson, it's very nice to see you again," he greeted her in his Norwegian accent. "Thank you for joining us this evening."_

"_Of course." Angelie sat down at the booth across from them. "I never turn down an opportunity to have dinner with my two favorite people." Truthfully, she liked Sven very much. Part of her fondness was due to the fact that he was a smart, respectable, and decent young man, but most of it was because he had truly helped Lenora recover from her father's murder. Angelie had been afraid that her daughter would never come back to her, but somehow Sven had gotten through to Lenora and brought her back to life._

_As Angelie looked over the wine menu, she noticed that her daughter kept exchanging secretive glances with her boyfriend. "All right, out with it," she said warmly, a smile forming on her plush lips. "I know you want to tell me something. What is it?"_

_She watched as Sven squeezed her daughter's hand underneath the table, and Lenora's face lit up with joy. "Mom, Sven and I got engaged this afternoon."_

_Angelie's smile broadened. "I knew it. Congratulations, both of you." She leaned over to kiss both of them again. "Is there a ring?"_

"_Actually, there's two." As they brought their left hands onto the table, Angelie studied the matching platinum wedding bands. There was no diamond, but she supposed it didn't really matter. "Ah. Tiffany rings. You two have excellent taste."_

_The waitress came around that moment, and in celebration, Angelie ordered a bottle of Moët & Chandon 'Imperial' champagne. "So when can I expect this wedding?"_

"_Whenever I return from Arus," Sven answered._

_Her eyebrows furrowed. "Arus? The Azure quadrant of the Denubian Galaxy, no? Wasn't that planet razed by the Drules quite some time ago?"_

_Sven nodded. "It was."_

"_So why would the Garrison want to send you __there__ on your first mission?"_

_Before he could answer, the waitress returned with the bottle of champagne and three champagne flutes. "Your Moët, Ma'am."_

"_Yes, thank you," Angelie replied. _

_After the waitress popped the cork and poured three glasses, Angelie lifted her champagne flute. "Cheers," she toasted, clinking her glass with Lenora's and Sven's. "To my daughter and her new fiancé. To your happiness, for now and forever."_

"_Aw, Mom." Lenora looked teary-eyed, but she didn't cry._

_Angelie took a sip and revelled in the moment. Yes, she knew they were young - too young, actually, and if it had been anyone other than Sven Holgersson, she would have tried to talk her daughter out of getting engaged at the age of twenty-one - but she also knew that the two of them needed to be together. They were responsible, and they were making the right decision._

_She was just worried about his mission to Arus. For some reason, she had a bad feeling about it._

* * *

They had barely made it to the underground tunnels as the last dregs of sunlight on Crydor were disappearing. Then, once they were safely underground, the girl burst into tears. She'd held it together for as long as she could, but once she knew she was finally safe, the emotions she'd held in check had finally gotten the best of her.

Sven had spent the better part of the night consoling Christiane. She didn't know who he was - she didn't even know his name - but she didn't care. He was better than the captors she'd spent the last horrendous hours of her life with. As she emptied herself of tears and horror without telling him anything of what transpired, her tired body crashed from exhaustion, and she fell asleep in his arms.

As Sven awoke in the morning, groggy but at least with the knowledge that he was safe in the tunnels, he noticed the woman in his arms. Briefly, he didn't remember who she was, he only knew that she had dark hair. His thoughts, as always, turned to his _elskede_. _Oh, Lenora_, he thought desperately, reaching out to stroke her porcelain skin with his bare hand.

"She is the blood that runs through your veins, Sven Holgersson," Christiane mumbled sleepily without opening her eyes.

As the girl spoke the words, he remembered who she was and what they were doing there. They were trying to survive until the Voltron Forces could come rescue them. He had no way to contact them - both ships' transmitters were destroyed in the crash landings. He also remembered that she had fallen asleep in his arms without even knowing who he was. So how did she know his name now?

"I am a seer, Sven. When you put your hand on my face, I was able to read you."

"Oh." Well, that explained it. Sort of. Stiffly, he sat up and stretched his arms overhead. "So you know about..."

"About you and the Space Marshal?" She picked herself up off the ground and dusted herself off. "Yes. I know about the two of you. I know too much about the two of you." She blinked at him with her turquoise eyes. "She still loves you."

"Please. I wish you hadn't said that." Sven shook his head.

"You don't know anything." Christiane patted his arm gently. "The two of you are supposed to be together. It's a beautiful thing when you meet The One."

"You know _that_?"

"Seers know lots of things. Like how you and Len are _not _married to The One, neither of you, though she's better off than you are. You two should be married to each other."

"Uh-huh." Nervously, he began to walk down the tunnel. "There should be some rations stored somewhere down this way. We should start walking."

"Good." Christiane followed him. "I could use some food. Blast it, the last thing I remember swallowing was that beer at Sullivan's Bar."

"Sullivan's is still around?"

"Mmm-hmm. According to my co-pilot Taye Benton, they have the best wings on the lower East Side. Too bad I didn't get to try any." She caught up to him and laced her arm through his. "So tell me, Sven Holgersson, do you know about the classified files?"

"Classified files? No, Christiane Kogane, I do not."

"It figures. When I told Lenora, she looked like she wanted to cry."

The thought of his _elskede_ in tears made him draw a sharp breath. "Were the classified files that bad? And what classified files are you talking about, anyway?"

"Graham's classified files on the Arusian expedition. It was how Stebbins and Brown chose the members for the mission and, unintentionally, for the Voltron Force." She pursed her lips together. "It was originally supposed to be my brother, you, Lance, Hunk, and Lenora."

At those words, he felt as though an icicle had stabbed him in the heart. His mouth dropped open, but no sound was able to come out.

* * *

When Ginger awoke the next morning - with a man in her bed, no less - she panicked. She didn't recognize where she was, and she had no idea who was in bed with her. _Blast it_, she thought, trying to cover herself up with the sheet. _I didn't even drink last night. Seven hells, if that's Shannon in bed with me, I am giving up on life._

"Relax, Gin."

As soon as she heard his voice, she felt better. "Lance. Thank God. For a moment there, I thought..."

"Shh. It doesn't matter." He rolled over towards her and wrapped his arm around her. "You do realize the scrutiny we're gonna face when we go down there together, right?"

"Lance McClain. After all these years, you really want to go out there together?"

He smirked behind her. "Well, I figure it's been long enough. I mean, how much longer do you want to hide this from everybody?"

She turned to face him. "Um...I think everybody figured it out almost eleven years ago on Senior Night, Hon." She lifted an eyebrow at him. "Besides, I can't believe that the great Lance McClain is ready to tell the world that he wants to be half of a relationship."

"It's you. That's different." He shot her his dazzling Lance McClain smile, and she snorted with laughter.

"So what are you saying, Lance?"

"I don't want to be with anybody but you. Not now, not ever."

"Truth?"

"Truth."

"Wow. Whoever would've thought?" She nuzzled into him, knowing that they had to get up very soon, but wanting to enjoy just a few more minutes. Who knew when they would be like this again? "All seven hells must be frozen over right now."

* * *

He knew it had to be a bad morning if black coffee and the perimeter scan weren't helping.

Keith stood in front of the computer in Castle Control, watching the images come up onscreen. He got no joy out of it. There was too much going on, inside the castle and out, for him to even focus properly. If Lotor and Wade had been lurking in the garden with a gigantic robeast, he would have missed it.

He felt like he had no control over his life anymore - the last time he'd felt so helpless and desperate was when Wade disbanded the Voltron Forces and impounded the lions, and he'd gone on a manhunt for Black. Now, he had his sister, his girlfriend, and his ex-girlfriend to worry about. And not just worry about them as people, he had to worry about his relationships with them and, worse, their relationships with each other. He made a lousy ex-boyfriend, a worse boyfriend, and the worst brother of all time. He felt like he could lead the failure pride parade.

"Just put me on a float," he muttered darkly.

He needed to kill time until they left for Crydor. Moments passed with him staring blankly at the images on the screen. Nothing. He saw nothing, he heard nothing. He should have felt nothing, too. But he didn't. He felt _her _instead. He felt her presence in the room without any fanfare to announce her arrival, without any words or sounds coming from her direction.

Noiselessly, she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso, laying the side of her face on his upper back. She didn't say a word, she just laid her head there, closed her eyes, and breathed against him. It was possibly more intimate than their lovemaking.

"Keith, you didn't come to bed last night."

He shook his head. "How could I? There was so much going on last night, and let's face it..." He let his voice trail off, unable to say the words and express his emotions. As usual, that was his biggest problem.

Her emerald eyes urged him to go onwards. "And?"

He sighed. "Let's face it, Allura, I've put you through seven hells since Len's transmission on Pollux. You deserve better than that. You deserve better than _me_. I am just the worst. The worst boyfriend, the worst brother, the worst _everything_."

"You're getting better," she replied slowly, sensing a breakthrough. "The fact that you could admit that gives me hope."

"And besides, Keith," a new voice shot out, "you're not the worst. You know what the worst is? Closing the deal with your best friend's sister and not telling him about it."

Jeff.

Slowly, Keith and Allura turned to face the doorway. Jeff stood there in his Air Team uniform, looking not the least bit hungover, with Morgan by his side, gripping his hand. Keith knew they were putting on a united front for him. At the end of the day, Morgan would always choose her friendship with Jeff over her relationship - whatever _that _was - with Keith. "Princess Allura, I must apologize for my drunken state last night. I was obviously not myself."

"Aki." Keith drew in a deep breath as he looked at his old roommate. "I should really beat the seven hells out of you. I mean, how could you start dating my sister? I trusted you to watch out for Christy and take care of her, and you stabbed me in the blasted back!"

Instead of being angry or upset, Jeff exchanged a glance with Morgan, and they both smiled. It only irritated Keith more, the two of them laughing at him. It was only further proof that he'd made the right decision when he left them both behind. "Dude. Did you just say _seven hells_?"

The question made Keith pause. "Yeah. Why?"

Morgan laughed hysterically while Jeff tried not to grin. "Where did you hear that phrase?"

"I bummed it off of Len when she visited Arus."

"Dude, you can't be mad at me when you say that phrase."

Feeling Allura tighten her hold on his hand, he replied, "And why _not_?"

Jeff finally succumbed to his laughter. "Because," he answered in between peals, "that's David's catchphrase. We've all swiped the term _seven hells _from him at one point or another. You, my friend, are quoting your ex-girlfriend's husband."

Even Allura let out a little giggle at the irony. Keith felt his blood boiling, humiliated by the way these three people - the three people who were, at one point or another, the most important people in his life - were laughing. Without thinking, he lashed out at the one person he was used to hurting the most.

"I'm glad you find it so funny, Morgan. It's a real laugh. You know, I just should've forgotten about you after that incident with Andrew during our first year at the Academy."

The laughter stopped.

There was nothing but silence in the Castle Control. Keith stared them down, the pain evident in his eyes, as Jeff and Morgan exchanged a glance. Finally, Morgan left her friend's side and walked over to Keith, ignoring Allura in the process. The princess backed away in equal parts resentment and curiosity.

"Andrew?"

"Yeah." Turquoise eyes burned into violet ones. "Do you remember that incident during our first year?"

She looked hurt as she revisited the memory. "Of course I remember. It's kind of humiliating to be dumped when you did nothing wrong, with all of your friends on the floor as witnesses. What's even more humiliating is that...oh, never mind." She dismissed the thought, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter now."

"I _had _to dump you, Morgan. I really thought you were going to leave me for him."

Morgan looked back over at Jeff, who shrugged. Then she returned her gaze to her ex-boyfriend. "_Why_ would you have even thought that, Keith?" Softly, she touched the side of his face. Keith closed his eyes, savoring the feel of her touch; Allura recoiled internally. "I loved you, and I never cheated on you. I was going to sleep with Andrew immediately after you dumped me that time, but I couldn't do it."

Without opening his eyes, he answered, "Everyone I love leaves me, Morgan. Everyone. My parents, Christy...everyone." He opened his eyes again. "You know how I loved you guys on the floor as my family. Imagine how I felt after Sven was hurt, and then we didn't know if he'd live or not. _Everyone _I have ever loved or cared about has left me at the end. So of course I thought you'd leave me for Andrew."

"Oh, Keith." She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. In response, he dropped his head onto her shoulder. Allura felt like she had been stabbed in the heart, but at the same time, she understood her boyfriend a little better. His parents' death, coupled with the loss of his sister, had left him emotionally stunted and unable to trust in love. Sven's near-loss had only reinforced that idea. "Keith, despite everything we went through together at the Academy, the only reason we broke up for good was because you went to Arus. I like to think that we would have been married for a long time now if you hadn't become the captain of the Voltron Force."

"You were my 'one who got away,' Morgan. I always thought that."

"I feel the same way."

"Blech," Jeff retorted.

"Shut _UP_, Amigo."

Cradling his face in her hands, Morgan looked at Keith intently. "Come on," she whispered. "We have to go get our sister back."


	13. Darkest Days

_Author's Note__: Wow, I SO was not expecting Keith to come out with that line about Morgan in the previous chapter. Seven hells, I swear on it! All of a sudden, it was just there, and I rolled with it. I am truly not kidding when I say that these characters are writing this story for me. I know I've said it before, but I never really know what's going to happen - I have a rough idea of how I want the storyline to go, but as for the details, these kids are writing it for me._

_As always, I own nothing except my characters and whatever decisions they decide to come up with. Also, as always, I appreciate every single reader who is following along with this story and any other stories that have or will come up. I'm speaking from the heart when I say that I have the best readers and reviewers!_

_To Cha - Thank you for your message! Your sentiments about the "one that got away" comment are seconded by everybody. And I LOVE that you know Tori & "Icicle!"_

_To Craze - There is going to be some severe hostility between Allura and Morgan, especially in light of the "one that got away" comment. Be prepared!_

_To bknbu - Yeah...Crankypants looks like he's blowing it with Allura, doesn't he? I hope he wises up before he breaks the princess. Well, he can't __**really **__break her, she's pretty tough, and she's got a few tricks up her own sleeve._

_To Emie Mac - Jeff is definitely still alive, you know I can't kill our man off! I think once they hash everything out, Crankypants'll be able to move forward. As for Lance and Ginger, you're right, it IS about time those two got together._

_To Sally On - Christiane wasn't meaning to be cruel, but she was anyway. Must run in the family, eh? Oh, and if you like the Tea Room, just wait...it'll be showing up for an encore in a few chapters._

_To MSSNC - Good to have you onboard! And your "slap the taste outta Keith's mouth" comment? I think I'll be using that quote in my personal life. It's just as good as "seven hells!"_

_**Title Song: "Darkest Days" by Stabbing Westward (wow, does this song go well with Keith right now!)**_

* * *

In the confines of her Blue Lion, Allura was seething. Her rage was simmering underneath her calm surface. She was on a mission, so she had to keep it in check. For now. _How dare he. How __dare__ he! _

So Keith regarded Morgan as "the one that got away." Well, _that _was a blow below the belt. What was she, then? What did that make her? Granted, Allura knew that Morgan had been in the picture well before she was, but according to all of their friends - and what she had seen with her own two eyes the night before - they weren't exactly compatible. More like _combustible_.

_I am not a common, run-of-the-mill whore_, she thought bitterly.

Allura was glad that the cadets were still at the castle. If they had been there, she was sure that Larmina would be riding in Blue with her, and she didn't want to burden her niece with the information. The girl didn't deserve it.

She checked the time on the digital clock in her dashboard. 10:32. They had approximately ten more minutes at top speed before they reached their destination. She had ten more minutes to sulk in private before she had to put on a cheerful face and search through Crydor's horrendous whiteout conditions to find Christiane.

The Explorer was trailing far behind them, and Jeff didn't contact Hawkins much in terms of their whereabouts. He knew that the commander was on a set path and would meet up with them later; he didn't see the point in keeping contact. However, he _did _feel the need to contact Keith again. He hadn't seen his friend in so long, and this was definitely not the way he'd wanted a reunion to go. "Keith, I just want to know," he began hesitantly in an open communication to all of the mecha. "I'm not judging and I'm not accusing, I'm only curious. How were you okay with letting Chris spend the night on this planet by herself?"

"Because," Keith answered, "as Allura will attest to, she's not alone. One of ours is with her."

"One of yours?" Cliff replied. "What do you mean? Do you have any extra cadets lying around or something?"

At his line, Allura actually managed a smile. "No, Cliff. He means that our friend Sven went to find her on Crydor, too."

There were more than a few gasps at her response. Finally, Ginger spoke hesitantly. "Sven's still alive?"

"Very much so," Keith answered.

"You've been holding out on us, Kogane?" Aidan cried out. "You didn't think to tell us that little piece of information earlier? Don't you know how much better we all would have felt last night if we had known that the Viking was down there with her?"

"Stop acting like he was your favorite person in the world, Dalloway," Pidge shot out.

"Seven hells, no!" Aidan responded. "He was far from it. But I do know - we _all _know - how good the Viking is at protecting a woman."

"And there's the proverbial elephant in the room," Cinda mused quietly.

"I'll second that," Morgan agreed. "Voltron Force, does Len know that Sven's alive?"

There was a moment of quiet before Lance mumbled, "Yeah. She knows."

"She found out when she was on Arus," Allura explained further. She felt that she owed it to the Albegas team and the other Voltron Force, even if she didn't want to reply directly to Morgan. "Sven and Len were on Arus at the same time."

"We don't know what happened between them," Keith continued, "but early the next morning, Len took off for Earth. And then Sven's wife showed up to get him, and they went back to Pollux together with their son."

"His _wife_?" Lisa asked incredulously. "He got _married_? To someone other than Lenora Stensson? And they have a _child_? Wow, I definitely misjudged him. I never thought he would have married anyone but Len."

"No wonder she moved the wedding date up when she came back from Arus," Morgan mused softly. "It must have killed her to find out that Sven had married another woman and had a family. My God. Oh, my poor Wifey."

"Hey, Vehicle Team," Aidan offered suddenly, "I know Hawkins is your commander and all that, but I think everybody should keep their mouths shut about the Viking's personal life. The only reason I say that is because you all see how well Hawkins tolerates _me_, and I only dated Len for ten months. Imagine how he'd feel about Sven dating her for five years and then getting engaged to her!"

"Guys, you're all talking about _my _sister," David broke in unexpectedly. "I'd like for everyone to focus on _Keith's _sister instead. We can discuss Lenora later, after we've gotten Christiane back."

"Good call, Rackens," Jeff agreed. "Let's get down to Crydor and get my girl back."

"_Our _girl," Morgan corrected him.

As much as Keith didn't want to share his sister, he knew there was no other choice. Too many people loved Christiane, regardless of how he felt about it. "Morgan's right. She's our girl, all of ours."

In the privacy of her Blue Lion, Allura rolled her eyes.

* * *

The rations stocked in the underground tunnels were disgusting, nothing more than old protein bars that tasted like sawdust and MREs that tasted even worse. Christiane seemed grateful, and ate them without complaint. Sven supposed that when one was literally starving, it didn't matter _what _the food tasted like.

He'd been afraid to broach the subject of the classified files with her. The topic was too painful. If Lenora had gone to Arus instead of Pidge, they never would have been separated. He knew without a doubt that they would have been married by now, and maybe they'd have a family of their own. Maybe his injury from the witch and her robeast never would have happened at all. Who knew for sure what the present-day might have looked like?

"You look like you either want to ask me a flood of questions, or kill yourself," Christiane finally commented. "Which one is it?"

"Both," he answered darkly.

"Well, please don't kill yourself. I still need you."

"Thanks."

They walked in silence for a few more moments. "You want to know why she's better off in her marriage than you are," she continued.

"That's one thing." He gazed at the ground beneath his feet. He didn't think he could look up at her to hear the answer.

"So Hawkins isn't The One - that's your role. But the universe is funny. It takes pity on you if you can't be with The One, either due to death or, in your case, distance. So it creates a back-up person, sort of like a consolation prize. _That's _Hawkins' role." She paused to feel her lower lip. It was starting to heal, even though it was still scabbed over. "You, on the other hand, aren't married to anyone in particular. You're not married to The One, you're not married to someone like Hawkins who the universe chose as your consolation prize - nothing. That's why Lenora's better off than you are."

"And you know that _how_?"

She shot him a wounded look.

"That's right. You're a seer."

"I might have been a better seer if I'd been properly trained in my abilities and not grown up as a ward of the state," she sighed. "But some things can't be helped. My abilities are limited. I'm more like an oracle - I read things. And I get visions, but not all the time."

"Jeff must _love _that," Sven remarked sarcastically.

Christiane looked over at him. "Man, you're pretty dark," she observed, refusing to be insulted. "And I just came from Lotor's ship, so I've already _done _dark. Were you like this back at the Academy?"

"Yes and no," he answered carefully. "She balanced me out."

"I can tell." She closed her mouth and focused on the tunnel ahead. It wasn't much warmer down there than it was on the planet's surface, but at least they didn't have to worry about the harsh, whipping winds or the blizzard conditions. "So where did you say we're going?"

"There's a base camp at the end of this tunnel. We can contact the Voltron Force from there." He shuddered as he thought about the place that he called home for several months. "That is, provided Lotor and Wade are not already there waiting for us."

Christiane swallowed. She'd forgotten that they might be on the hunt for her. She decided not to worry about it - the Voltron Force was on its way.

* * *

Maahox scowled to himself as he viewed the onslaught of Crydor's weather through the monitor. The last time he'd left this planet, he swore to himself that he would never step foot on it again. Yet there he was, ready to leave the comfort of the ship and go back out there. _This is all Lotor's fault, _he thought grimly.

Wade, for his part, looked horrified at the thought exiting the ship. Once he'd seen the conditions on Crydor, he looked like he was ready to throw up. "I have known some bad winters in New York," he noted to the occult scientist, "but never anything _this _bad. Why in the universe would Lotor know anything about this planet?"

Sighing, Maahox shook his head, thinking about Sven. "It wouldn't matter anyway, Sky Marshal. Every plan I come up with, the king has found a way to ruin. It's getting a little..._disheartening_, if I do say so myself."

"Yes, I can imagine. It seems to me that King Lotor is the brawn of our entire operation, while you and I are the brains."

"The brawn and the loins, apparently," Maahox responded grimly, thinking about Lotor's obsession with both the princess of Arus _and _the sister of Keith. "You do realize we're on this miserable planet because of a woman, do you not?"

"We will get her." Wade kept his voice even and neutral. It was a skill he had honed during the months he spent in the Galactic Prison. "She is so important to our mission. I will be the first one to admit that I have no desire to go out there, but since Christiane Kogane is the cornerstone of our plan, we must have her back at all costs."

"Sir, you must be joking," Maahox gasped.

"No, I am not." Narrowing his eyes at the occult scientist's lone robotic one, he asked, "What do you have in your lab right now?"

"My lab? Do you mean, do I have any robeasts or any other such spectacular thing?"

Wade's steely eyes shone. "Indeed."

Maahox shot the Sky Marshal a sickening grin. "I do believe I may have a trick or two up my sleeve on that front, Sir..."

* * *

Romelle grinned as she studied the tired-but-satisfied expression on Bandor's face. The new king of Pollux, gripping his new wife's hand, had been dutifully saying his good-byes to his wedding guests as they left the planet. She noted that not one guest who was considered to be royalty had even thought to ask where Sven was. It was definitely an interesting observation.

"Steve," Emma whispered quietly to her brother, "I am going to miss you so much. You'd better come visit me a lot on Pollux now." She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly as Bandor beamed, watching.

"You know I will, Em," he replied, kissing his sister's forehead. "I love you. Bandor! You'd better take good care of my sister, you hear?"

"Of course, Steve," Bandor replied heartily, shaking the prince's hand. "I love your sister. This isn't just a political marriage. I actually love her."

"That's great, Bandor." Prince Stephane shot his new brother-in-law a grin. "That makes me really happy."

Emma wormed her way out of her brother's embrace to say good-bye to her sister. "Rizz," she said emphatically, "thank you for being my maid of honor. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. And you looked even more beautiful than usual."

"Oh, Em." The beautiful queen embraced her sister. "You know I love you. I'd do anything for you, even if I _am _a wicked beast sometimes." She grinned. "I'll miss you. Don't forget to come see _us _sometime, too."

Romelle approached Emma's sister and clasped her hands in the spirit of family and friendship. "Queen Clarissa," she stated, "I wish to grant you and your brother an open invitation to Pollux. You may drop in unannounced at any time. I look forward to your next visit."

Clarissa squeezed Romelle's hands in reply. "Thank you, my dear," she replied earnestly. "I appreciate the offer, and I will undoubtedly take you up on it." They gazed at each other as only two of Lotor's most coveted prizes could. Romelle suddenly felt a deep connection to Clarissa, and she was glad that now she had someone who could understand what went on in her head.

"I will be a good sister to Emma in your absence," Romelle assured her.

Clarissa smiled. "I have no doubt that you will." She turned her gaze to Erimar, whose brother she was supposed to marry. That seemed like a lifetime ago now. "Erim, it was good to see you again. I am so glad that Tyvel is on the up-and-up. You will be a fantastic leader for your planet."

Smiling, Erimar wrapped his arms around Clarissa. "Not as good as Erkhon would have been, but I'll do my best. It was nice to see you too, Rizz. I hope you will keep in touch."

"I certainly will. Exxus and Tyvel will always have an alliance, no matter what else happens."

Stephane grasped his older sister's elbow. "Come on, Rizz. We should leave the lovebirds alone and get back home."

She nodded. "You're right, Steve." With a final nod and a flourishing wave, she and Stephane made their way back to the hangar to board their ship.

Though she was a royal and trained in exacting protocol, she couldn't help the feeling that there were not one, but _two _royal couples on Pollux: Bandor and Emmaline, and Romelle and Erimar.


	14. Dark Side

_Author's Note__: Well, just like Keith's words to Morgan bothered everybody, so did the knowledge of Sven and Len being "The One" and, worse, Romelle not being anything at all to Sven. That one, I'm not blaming on my characters - that's all me. Call me a freak, but I genuinely do not like the Sven/Romelle pairing - never have, never will. Yes, I know it's the only canon pairing, but that doesn't mean I have to like it._

_A huge thank-you to everyone who's reading and following along. You guys are the best! I own nothing except my crazy characters._

_To Cha - Thank you for your message. I hope I've cleared up some of your questions._

_To Craze - Yes, Allura is definitely mad! I think it will get even more interesting when Christiane comes on board, too. And there's a thought - who is Romelle really supposed to be with, hmm?_

_To bknbu - Oh, hell hath no fury, indeed. I can't wait for this K/A stuff to come to a head._

_To Emie Mac - Here's hoping that some of Christiane's seer abilities can get through Sven's thick Viking skull! And I hope you got my message!_

_To Sally On - Oh, Keith. Keith, Keith, Keith. I'm pretty sure he knows about Allura's crossbow. At least, I sure as seven hells hope he HASN'T forgotten..._

_To Wade Wells - Yes, this all went on in front of Allura. And no, she hasn't killed him. Yet. As for Sven and Len, I cannot WAIT for you to expand on your thoughts..._

_**Title Song: "Dark Side" by Kelly Clarkson**_

* * *

Cliff drove through the blizzard on Crydor with his Land Team members closely following. Lance, looking down at his old friend, realized that the Land Team was better suited for this mission than the lions. And everybody else, for that matter.

Then there was Ginger. He couldn't believe that she still had feelings for him, even after so many years and how messed-up their relationship was. He thought about Queen Anadora's ring, and how it would be perfect for her. _Perfect_. But not as an engagement ring - Lance and Ginger had built an entire relationship around the idea of never getting married.

Not that he was going to give her that ring any time soon, of course.

"Hey, Gin?" Suddenly missing - _and _worrying - about her, he contacted her privately over the communicator. "How are you holding up?"

"Not so good," she replied from the cockpit of her Falcon Jet Fighter. "You didn't warn me that Crydor's weather was this bad. No wonder you guys decided not to chase after Chris in the dark. You can hardly see anything in the _light_."

"Yeah." Lance grunted. "Are you warm enough in there?"

"I'm fine. Stop worrying about me, McClain."

He grinned. Hearing her voice made him feel better. "I have to, Ellington. It's my job."

"Oh, it's your _job _now? In that case, you can warm me up after we're safe back at the castle. In any manner you approve of. Clothing optional."

"Ooh, I will _definitely _take you up on that."

In the Red mecha, Taye did his best to run a systems scan on their robot in his partner's absence. "Okay, Chris has got this set up so it's pretty foolproof, but still, I could be an idiot," he reported to Aidan. "The temperature here is taking a pretty big toll on the three mecha. Pidge gave me a heads-up and said that interlocking helped Voltron increase power here - we might want to keep that the the back of our minds."

Aidan gave a curt nod. "Keep me updated, Benton. You're in charge of the systems." He opened the communication channel to the Blue mecha. "Feld, what do you see in this hot mess? Anything?"

"Nothing yet, Cap."

"All right. Keep me posted."

* * *

When Kelly entered the office early the next morning, a capped paper mug of green tea in hand, she knew that the Space Marshal hadn't gone home the night before. She sat miserably at her desk in front of the viewing screen, her eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep.

"Space Marshal, you look like you're about to crash," she observed, placing the tea in front of her. "Here. I picked this up for you at the Tea Shoppe on my way over."

"Thank you, Kelly. And no need for formalities today. I _am _about to crash." She lifted the mug to her lips. "You know, maybe when Matthias chose me to succeed him as Space Marshal, he didn't realize that I would be too close to the action. I have so many loved ones out there on the field right now. This would be so different if they were just faceless bodies with names attached to them."

Kelly nodded, sitting down next to her friend. "Yeah, tell me about it," she agreed quietly. "It's too much. If you think about it, our entire floor from the Academy dorm is out there, plus Taye, plus Jon, plus David, plus Chris...I could keep going, Len."

"I know, Kell. I could too." She sipped her tea. "Like I said, it's not just nameless, faceless bodies out there."

Kelly wrapped an arm around Lenora. "Then let's just hope that they stay safe and they find Chris. That's really all we can do."

Lenora nodded, too exhausted to even respond. She was tapped-out emotionally at the moment. She missed her husband fiercely, especially in light of the fact that the Explorer had only docked for a few days before taking off again, and she never stopped worrying about him when he was gone. Worse, she had asked Sven to be on stand-by, and she knew that he would do anything she asked of him. She only hoped that he was safe without the veneer of a ship or a mecha to cover him.

* * *

Their walk in the underground tunnels consisted mostly of silence. Though Sven had a million questions to ask the seer, he didn't know where to start, or which questions were the most pressing or appropriate. He wished she was a mind-reader and could see what he was thinking, if only to point out the most important pieces of information he should know.

"You know, you have yet to ask _me _anything," she finally pointed out, "about myself."

"No. No, I have not." A thoughtful look crossed his face for a brief moment. "I've been too busy saving you."

"You mean, you've been too busy thinking about your pathetic self," she corrected him, rolling her eyes. "Gods, now that I've spent some time with you, I can't figure out what in seven hells she sees in you. You have one impressive dark side, Sven Holgersson."

He snorted. "Hmph. Tell me something I _don't _know, Christiane Kogane."

She smashed her lips together to contain her amused smile. It hurt her bottom lip, but she didn't care. "Wow. You are _just _like my brother. He's got a dark side too, you know, probably worse than you do." Seeing no reaction from the stubborn Norwegian, she continued. "Did you know that when I was sixteen, I enrolled at the Space Academy, knowing that I'd find him? And when I found him, he more or less told me to get lost?"

That got a reaction. Sven stopped mid-step in surprise. "When did _that _happen?"

"I was sixteen, he was twenty. It had to have been his fourth year. He had this look on his face - I will never forget that look." She shook her head. "I didn't blame him for it, though."

"But what did he say? Wasn't he happy to know that his sister was there?"

"Far from it." She shrugged. "He looked like he was going to be ill. He was so _angry_."

"I'm sorry. He never told me about it. I didn't even know you existed until the Space Marshal told me."

"Don't worry. It's not your fault." She looked down at the ground as she relived the experience. "Akira-chan - better known as _Keith _to you guys - took our parents' death and our subsequent separation very badly. It scarred him for life, and trust me, you don't need to be a seer to know that." She glanced over at her companion. He was looking at her intently with his slate-blue eyes, and she thought for a moment that she knew why Lenora had fallen for him. "He didn't trust in love. Not just romantic love, either - familial love, friendly love, affection, adoration, the whole nine yards. He fell into this habit of pushing away anyone he loved or cared about. From what I can gather, he still does."

"It was like that with him and Morgan, for sure," he agreed.

"Yeah. She told me that a couple of years later."

"Wait...you know Morgan?"

"Of course." Her delighted smile lit up the underground tunnel. "Even though Keith couldn't accept me being there, with his whole mistrust-of-love issues, he did care enough to have Jeff and Morgan watch over me while he was on Arus." She looked almost giddy as she thought about her boyfriend. "I met Morgan through Jeff - they became really tight after Keith left."

"Did they ever date?"

"Seven hells, no!" Christiane laughed, and for the first time, Sven saw her as a person instead of some ward he was supposed to protect, or as a seer with some mystical abilities. "Don't get me wrong, they would've been good together, but she was in a funk for about a year after the final break-up. And then she met David, and the rest is history."

"David Rackens?"

"David Rackens."

"Hmm. Did David ever tell you about how often he used to beat up my roommate in those shooting matches?"

"Sometimes." She shrugged again. "David's the best. I think you'll like him once you get to know him."

Sven smiled. "So then...you and Jeff Aki?"

The adoring expression on the girl's face made him jealous. "Yeah, me and Jeff," she replied softly. "Jeff was always good to me. He always watched over me, always made sure I was okay. And then at Lenora's induction ceremony...I don't know what happened. We agreed to meet beforehand to discuss his concerns, and suddenly I wanted to know if my visions were right. I asked him to escort me to the ceremony, and the rest is history."

"So your romance, anyway, is fairly recent."

"It is. Though I feel like we've been together for a lifetime."

Sven thought about those words. Since he found out that his _elskede _was alive, every day had seemed like an eternity without her. He didn't know how he would ever make it through the rest of his life if she wasn't by his side.

* * *

"You know, I've never been good with babies or little kids, but your son is _really _cute," Erimar told Romelle as he watched her feed Erik his lunch. The boy was tossing his dry cereal around the room more than he was chomping on it.

Romelle looked back at her guest with a bewildered smile. "I'm glad you think he's cute. When he's acting like this, I find him to be...less cute."

Erimar laughed, leaning over to pick up a few pieces of cereal from off the ground. "Oh, he's fine. From what I understand, all little kids do this. It's nothing unusual."

Romelle smiled, locking her eyes with the prince's olive-green gaze. Gods, he looked like he belonged on Pollux, with his happy demeanor and his auburn hair. And he was so patient with Erik. Not that Sven was a bad father, he was actually an _incredible _father, but Romelle had yet to meet a man who had no reason to love Erik but did anyway.

Instead, she replied, "That's true." She turned her gaze back to her son to avoid looking at Erimar. "You know, this is usually his naptime - that's probably why he doesn't want to eat. I'll have Rosalie take him to the nursery." She paged her youngest nursemaid, who responded quickly and scooped the child up in her arms. Her expression held the slightest bit of disapproval over the fact that the prince and princess would be left alone together.

Not that Romelle cared. She was interested in spending time alone with Tyvel's prince, though she didn't know why. Yes, she was attracted to him. But it wasn't just that - she was intrigued by him. She wondered what it might have been like if his brother Erkhon had lived, and if Clarissa had married him. She wondered what kind of alliance Pollux and Arus would have forged along with Exxus and Tyvel. They would have been unstoppable.

Once they were alone, she finally garnered enough courage to ask him the question. "Erim, tell me, if your brother and my brother had both survived - if your brother had married Clarissa, and my older brother had never been made into a robeast - what do you think might have happened to _us_?"

Erimar swallowed, fully considering her question for a moment. "You want the truth, Romy?" he asked. "I can only speculate. But I've had many years to imagine, and I'll tell you how my what-if scenario always plays out." He swallowed back his grief, hard. "I like to think that Clarissa would have married Erkhon, and the two of them would be sharing the throne of Tyvel. That would leave Stephane to rule Exxus, and Emmaline free to marry whoever she chose. Perhaps she would marry Avok. Or perhaps she would still choose to marry Bandor."

Romelle grinned. "Believe it or not, Erim, she and Bandor really do love each other. I've seen it. Emma will be happy here on Pollux, I can assure you of that - she and my brother are very much in love."

Erimar inhaled, tilting his head slightly towards her. "Yes, that's nice to know. But tell me, Romy, are _you_?"

She felt her breath and heartbeat both quicken. "Am I _what_?"

Erimar moved towards the princess and grabbed her hand. "Much like your brother and new sister-in-law, are _you _happily married?" He brought his face within inches of hers, and she felt herself melt. "Is that accented husband of yours the love of your life, or are you putting on a great act? Are you still pleased to be married to him, or are you putting on the best show in the universe?"

Romelle felt herself unable to breathe. "Does it matter? Why would _you _care?"

Erimar had always been of the belief that it was best not to interfere if a woman's heart was taken. However, if a woman's heart was _broken_, that was another story entirely. He had sensed that there was some discord in her marriage, in which case, it would be ideal to make his move. Romelle would make an excellent queen - if only he could get her to divorce her non-royal husband. "Because if you are _not _happy, I can make you happy."

She bit her lip in reply.


	15. Violet Hill

_Author's Note__: Now we're gettin' somewhere. I wasn't sure how people would feel about this new relationship that's illicitly brewing, but I think people are actually kind of enjoying it. Or maybe we just enjoy watching a train wreck? The mind reels._

_So I would have had this chapter out sooner, but again, these characters dictate what's going to happen. I had a whole other plotline/title for this chapter, and then - BOOM! - Crankypants comes in and decides he's going to take over. And you know what? I let him; I think this chapter is truly that much better for it. Let's see if you all agree._

_As always, I own only my characters and whatever crazy things they do. (Prince Erimar, are you listening?)_

_To Craze - The relationship between Romelle and Erimar is...say, is it getting hot in here?_

_To Sally On - I don't know for sure if Chris can help Sven out, but at least she can open his eyes. As for Romelle and Erimar...um, why am I all sweaty all of a sudden?_

_To Emie Mac - Our boy Jeff's showing up! _

_To bknbu - Lance and Ginger are pretty darn hot, but they don't got nothin' on the sexual tension that belongs to Romelle and Erimar...uh, wait a second, let me crank up the AC..._

_To Wade Wells - Crankypants needs love! Thanks for your input, too!_

_**Title Song: "Violet Hill" by Coldplay (one of my personal favorite songs)**_

* * *

The base camp on Crydor was just as bleak-looking as the rest of the planet. Christiane wrapped her arms around her torso and shivered, despite the fact that they were in a covered building which was slightly warmer than the outside temperature. Then again, considering that the outdoor temperature was cold enough to give the Arctic Circle a run for its money, that didn't say much.

"Now, let's see if these computers want to start up after all this time," Sven muttered to himself, plopping himself down in front of the control panel. "They've been sitting unused in the cold since I left."

"Well, if it were me, _I _sure wouldn't want to start up. And besides, they'd still be sitting in the cold, even if you never left." Christiane began rubbing her hands together. As she breathed out, she could see little cloud puffs in front of her. Seven _hells_, it was cold! "I'm vacationing somewhere really warm after we get out of here. Like, the desert."

The amusement reached his slate-blue eyes. "I'd say I'm going with you, except I don't think Jeff would take too kindly to that."

"No, probably not." She stood behind him, staring at the viewing monitor as it began to crackle an image. "Even if these things _aren't _shot, there's not much of a chance of seeing anything in these whiteout conditions. Maybe the radio is still working."

"Good call." Sven opened the radio channels to see if he could hear anything or contact anyone. It would be miraculous if he could get enough radio frequency to contact the Voltron Force. Well, he wasn't exactly picky. He would be happy if he could contact any of their allies, even if it _did _end up being the Stellar Ship Explorer. Sven didn't know if he could deal with being on the same ship as Lenora's husband, but he was willing to try if it meant that he and Christiane would be safe and off Crydor.

"You think we'll get anything?"

"Maybe."

It was several long, agonizing moments before Sven garnered a lock. He was so relieved, he thought he would cry. Not that he ever would, of course - his aura was more ice than water - but the feeling of hope was tangible. Even Christiane let out a suppressed sigh as they found the weak signal.

He held his breath as he awaited a solid connection.

* * *

Keith hated the snow. It consistently reminded him of less pleasant things from his past. Most people equated snow with the holidays and school closings, snowmen and snow angels, hot cocoa and sledding. Times of joy and of being with family, the whole "Norman Rockwell" picture.

All of that had been stolen from Keith.

Usually, the first thing that came to mind when he saw snow was the first foster family he had stayed with after he and Christiane had been separated. The family lived in upstate New York, where ten-foot-plus snowdrifts were nothing unusual and the typical college campus had a network of underground foot tunnels so classes didn't need to be canceled. During the first bad snowstorm he encountered there, his foster father threw him outside with only a shovel and a scarf, telling him not to come back inside until the driveway was cleared. Keith might have died of hypothermia out there if it hadn't been for his foster mother, who came out to rescue him. Thinking back on it, that might have been the exact moment when he came to realize that he couldn't trust the people who got close to him. The people who were supposed to know him on an intimate level were the ones he inevitably ended up pushing away - they either left him or hurt him, and usually they did both. Why bother?

The next memory that came to mind was the snow-filled winter during their second year at the Academy. That was the year he and Morgan had suffered their most vicious break-up. They had hurled barbs - and notebooks, and pencils, and one particularly heavy navigation textbook - at each other, always coming back to the same argument: "You don't trust me. You don't let me in. Do you even love me, Keith? If you love me, then let me know, blast it!" They'd sat in the snow for hours until they were freezing and sopping wet, neither of them moving or speaking, until Lenora and Sven recruited Lance and Jeff to help drag them back to the dorm.

The third memory was one from the recent past. One where he and the Voltron Force flew back to this very same planet to chase after Sven. He'd stolen Blue Lion, and they needed to get it back. But it wasn't the chase or Sven's apparent betrayal, it was that moment when Allura dropped out of Black Lion and into the cold, snowy conditions to track down Blue. That was the moment he thought he'd lost her for good; the moment of panic, the moment of breaking, the moment of horror in its purest, most unparalleled form.

The final - and worst - memory was during his fourth year at the Academy. It was another snow-filled day, one where Keith was dragging himself back to the dorm alone, when _she _showed up in front of him. "Akira-chan, is that you?" she asked, trembling. He saw his reflection in her turquoise eyes - _his _eyes - and nearly threw up. No. He couldn't handle it; he couldn't handle _her_. It could not be his sister in front of him, dressed in the same cadet uniform he wore, looking for him. Rejection. He automatically rejected her. How could he possibly let her into his life? Everyone he ever loved, everyone he ever trusted or let in, went away at the end. He'd lost Christiane once when he was twelve years old. He couldn't lose her again. It would kill him. So he wouldn't let her back in - if he didn't let her back in, he couldn't lose her again.

It dawned on him now that the two worst memories of snow were of losing Allura and losing Christiane. Because of his mixed-up feelings for his old girlfriend, he was about to lose Allura for good. How could he even have mentioned those words - _"You were my 'one who got away,' Morgan"_ - in front of Allura? What damage had he done to their relationship, and could he even salvage it now?

Then there was Christiane. He had continually berated himself for being the worst brother in the universe, and perhaps now it was time to make amends for it. Now he had to save his sister; he had no other choice. Now he had to let her back in, he had to make up for lost time. He needed to let her know how much he cared about her, that he loved her and missed her so much that it was exquisitely painful to behold. It was easier to bury that pain, or hide from it, or ignore its existence than to experience it.

He would get to Christiane when they found her. Right now, though, he needed to patch things up with his girlfriend.

* * *

Allura spent very little time in contact with Keith. Besides the fact that she was still furious with him, she wasn't sure exactly what she could do to remedy the situation. That was, if she even _wanted _to remedy the situation. Being the crown princess of Arus, it would be all too easy for her to boot him off the Voltron Force. Then she could claim Black Lion as her own, and choose one of the cadets to pilot Blue.

Snow. There was nothing but snow in her visual field. She had never flown her lion on Crydor before; the last time she was on this planet, the team was in pursuit of Sven after he stole Blue Lion. She had been with Keith. Blast him.

For a miraculously perfect second, there was a lifting of the darkness, and sunlight came pouring in with all its brilliance. The reflective glare was blinding, and as Allura's vision returned, all she could see was the color violet. She blinked rapidly, looking at the hilly - and sometimes mountainous - terrain, and everything was purple. Scowling, it reminded her of Morgan and her violet eyes, and of Lotor with his purple skin. Two people she wasn't exactly pleased with at the moment.

Her intercom beeped, and she noticed that it was the private channel between Blue and Black. Swallowing, she hesitated to answer. She let it beep two more times before she finally opened the communication channel.

"What is it, Keith?" It came out more as a statement than a question, as though he was bothering her. Which he was.

"I'm sorry, Allura."

"What was that?"

"I'm sorry." Over the monitor, he blinked those turquoise eyes at him. She was still unbelievably angry, but she could feel herself softening as he apologized. "I have been absolutely horrible to you. Horrible, thoughtless, disrespectful, and a whole host of other adjectives that I'd need Pidge's help to come up with."

"You have been." She couldn't disagree.

"I never should have said what I said to Morgan, especially not in front of you. Allura, all of our teammates will tell you that she and I had the definition of a roller-coaster relationship. I don't want that back, and neither does she. I guess...I don't know, I am so lost right now. I feel pretty helpless."

She inhaled. Maybe it wouldn't make everything better, but it was definitely a step in the right direction. "Keith, we'll talk more once we get home. But for now, let's focus on finding your sister."

She really, truly meant it.

* * *

On the bridge of their ship, Wade joined Cossack and Lotor. The general seemed to be in good spirits, but Lotor was as sullen as always, perhaps even more so. He sat at the head of the bridge in an angry sulk, the Haggarium rage flashing out of his eyes. Wade briefly wondered if the king was the right person to lead this mission, and then decided that, no, he wasn't.

Wade wasn't joking when he told Maahox that he believed the two of them to be the brains of the operation. Lotor, for all of his bragging over his military education, experience and leadership, had been content to allow the Sky Marshal to take the reins on this strategy. And indeed, Wade fully realized that there would be no Lotor at all if he hadn't been revived by Maahox.

Speaking of Maahox, he was hidden away in his lab, busy working on one thing or another for their upcoming battle. Wade didn't know how he knew, but he could feel that there was going to be a full-scale battle on Crydor over Christiane Kogane. He grinned. Perhaps he should contact the Space Marshal again to rub it in. He would thoroughly enjoy taunting that black-lipped witch.

Then again, knowing how Lotor's mind worked, the blasted fool would probably fall in love with _her_, too.

"General Cossack, how is the search going?" Wade asked the general, approaching his seat on the bridge. He didn't look down at the pilot, he kept his eyes fixed on the monitor and whiteout conditions on Crydor.

"As you can see, Sky Marshal, it's not," Cossack replied grimly, adjusting the scanners. "There's a lot of snow, intense blizzard conditions, and it's a wonder we didn't crash on entry."

"Good enough." He glanced back at Lotor, who scowled. "We'll just keep looking, and hope that Maahox comes up with something spectacular in his lab."

Cossack nodded. For his part, he preferred Wade's cool demeanor to Lotor's impulsive ways. Lotor was always quick to judge, and faster to act without thinking things through. It made for a rough ride, especially when - as usual - things didn't turn out the way the king wanted. Cossack could remember being cursed at and punished a thousand times over for defeats Lotor blamed on him, when he really should have been shouldering the blame himself.

As if reading Cossack's thoughts - or perhaps because he was forming similar thoughts of his own - Wade pressed a button to communicate with the occult scientist's lab. "Maahox," he spoke into the communicator, "how is the robeast situation coming along?"

The Sky Marshal could almost see the grin on Maahox's twisted face. "Sir, I think you will have to see it to believe it, but I have a feeling you will be _very _pleased."

* * *

Jeff was a changed man. Since he'd found out that his girlfriend had been captured by the enemy, he'd proceeded to throw up - in front of Commander Hawkins, no less, which was beyond humiliating - drink absinthe, get drunk on two separate occasions, start a fight with his old roommate and best friend, and practically demolish the control panel in his Command Jet Explorer. Perhaps he hadn't changed for the better, but he was a changed man nonetheless.

One who had been destroyed by the events in his life.

They had to get Christiane back. They _had _to. Sure, he knew that Keith didn't look like he had a care in seven hells about whether or not they got his sister back, but it meant everything to him. If he didn't get her back, there was no reason for him to keep going in life. He might as well lay down and die.

"Jeff?" Lisa contacted him gently over the intercom. The captain noticed it was over a private channel. "How are you holding up?"

"Haven't killed myself yet," he replied grimly.

"Stop. That's not funny."

"It wasn't _meant _to be funny, Lis. It's the truth."

Lisa sighed. _There's no getting through to him when he's like this_, she thought. It made her glad that she was with Aidan now. Aidan was the exact opposite of Jeff - fun and light-hearted, but serious when he had to be.

Jeff knew what Lisa was thinking, but he didn't care. All he cared about was getting Christiane back. He shut off the private channel - incredibly rude, he knew - and began another scan, this one with radio frequency.

No one was more shocked than he was when he got a lock on another frequency.

"Hey, teams!" he broadcasted over a general communication channel, one that went back to the Explorer as well. "I've got a lock on another signal!"

"Rein it in, Aki!" Aidan instructed.

Jeff established a stronger link and began communications. He attempted to share it with the rest of the mecha, but every time he tried to broaden the link, it weakened. So, privately, he sent a message. "This is captain Jeff Aki of the Voltron Force."

His jaw dropped at the accented voice that replied to him. "Hello, Jeffrey. How's the beanbag chair?"

"_Viking?_ Is that really _you_?"

"If you know anyone else on Crydor with a Norwegian accent who knows that you stole Lance's beanbag chair, I'd like to hear it."

Hope against hope caught in his throat. "Do you find Christiane?"

Sven let out a small laugh. "Your girlfriend's right here with me, Jeff. She's safe. And she wants me to tell you that she loves you. Oh, and that you're vacationing together in the desert after you get off this planet."

Tears blurred his eyes. "Where are you guys?"

"There's a base camp on Crydor. I'll send you the coordinates."

"Fantastic. We'll be there. I'll contact the rest of the teams and let them know." He closed the radio frequency and opened the general communications link. "Guys! GUYS! I just got confirmation from the Viking! He's got Chris!"

"Where are they?" Keith asked. The strain in his voice was obvious.

"He sent me the coordinates of their location. Here, I'll transfer them over." He downloaded the coordinates and sent them over to Green Lion for Pidge, Blue Mecha for Morgan, the Jet Radar Station for Cliff, and the Communications Module for Crik. As an afterthought, he also sent the coordinates to the Explorer, hoping that Commander Hawkins would figure to go there.

"Amazing," Morgan breathed. "Amigo, I don't know about you, but I feel like a weight has been lifted."

"Same here, Morganza. Though I won't totally relax until she's here with me."

"Agreed."

Though he didn't know for sure, Jeff believed that all of the teams felt better about this mission now that Christiane had been found. The dull feeling of dread had just started to lift when he heard Chip's voice over the communicator. "Uh, don't look now, guys, but I think we've got company."

Lotor's command ship.


	16. Come Undone

_Author's Note__: Okay, confession time. I did NOT make up these robeasts myself. Ask other authors - making up robeasts is hard work! So these robeasts are borrowed from the Devil's Due Press comic series, in case anyone recognizes them._

_Otherwise, as always, I own only my characters._

_To Cha - Got your message! I'm glad you're feeling better about Crankypants, I think we all are!_

_To Emie Mac - HOORAY! I aim to please. Hope your day was just a little bit better after reading a chapter with our man Jeff. (Well, come on, whose day WOULDN'T be better after a little Jeff in it?)_

_To bknbu - I hope Allura shows up with her crossbow in Crankypants' face, just to scare him a little! As for Hawkins, well, gosh, I love the guy (so does Wade Wells), so I can't hurt him TOO much. And make sure you keep that AC on standby..._

_To Sally On - I agree with you, Crankypants should definitely have to work very hard before Allura takes him back. Don't worry, Allura's got an idea of how she can make him pay._

_**Title Song: "Come Undone" by Duran Duran**_

* * *

Tech Sargeant Sparks received the coordinates from Jeff, but had no idea what they were for. "Sir?" he called out to the commander. "I've received a set of coordinates from Jeff. It seems to be their rendezvous point, though I can't be sure."

Hawkins brought the coordinates up on the screen. He'd picked up on a little bit of navigation from spending time with Morgan during Albegas practice, but he knew wouldn't be able to place these coordinates on a map. "Have you contacted Jeff about where this came from?"

"No, I just received them."

The commander tilted his head as he looked at the screen. "See if you can contact Captain Aki and get the specifics. If we're going to be heading out to this part of Crydor, I'd like to know why."

"As you wish, Sir." Sparks opened a communication channel and attempted to hail the Command Jet Explorer. Nothing. It returned static.

"Keep trying," Hawkins encouraged. "Maybe we'll have better luck once we get closer to Crydor."

Sparks hoped that the commander was right, and continued with trying to hail the Voltron Force.

* * *

"Oh. My. God." Hunk pronounced each word carefully, which, if one knew him, was the first sign that he was wholly and undeniably disturbed. "What. Are. Those. Freaking. _Things?"_

"Way to put things in perspective, Hunk," Rocky sighed. "Yo Jeff, what are we gonna do about these things, huh?"

"Come on, Rock, you really need to ask?" Jeff replied sarcastically. "I think we need the big guy. Um, the big _guys_! Let's go, Voltron Force!"

As the fifteen mecha began to assemble to form Vehicle Voltron, Keith decided that his team wouldn't be outdone. "You heard the man, Team! Let's go, Voltron Force!"

The five lions assembled with Black Center. Pidge piped up from his cockpit, "Hey Chief, I was just thinking...we're on Crydor, and Allura's lion will probably do the best with this climate, seeing as how its element is water."

"I was just thinking the same thing, Pidge. Form Blue center!"

The Albegas crew watched as Vehicle Voltron and Blue-Center Lion Voltron stood magnificent before them, ready to tackle the three robeasts that Lotor's command ship had sprung on them. "Um, Dalloway? Are we gonna form Albegas now, or what?" Taye asked.

"Duh. Except we don't have a stupid cheer, and we're not _gonna _have one. Get into Alpha Formation!"

"Rah frickin' rah," Morgan deadpanned.

"Shut up, Feld." He paused. "Though, thinking about it again, that _does _have a nice ring to it."

The three mecha shifted and reshaped themselves to unite to form Albegas. Aidan was glad he'd hounded his team with so many drills - the formation was tight. He was just sorry that Christiane wasn't there with them to experience it.

"Hey, look at this," Jeff commented teasingly. "We've got a third Voltron on our hands."

"Which is good, 'cuz we got three robeasts," Aidan retorted. "Let's go crack some skulls, Aki."

"You know it, Dalloway."

Maahox's Haggarium-infused robeasts were as powerful as they were ugly. The first, a muddy-brown-colored creature with claws, a tail, and what looked like prehistoric armor, held a sword that could rival Lion Voltron's. The second looked like a gigantic pink squid, all brains and tentacles, with a distinctly female face on it. The third, though, was the obvious leader of the pack.

With its ivory coloring and dark brown speckling, it was outfitted in blue armor with what looked like a flame-thrower pack on its back, which was either brilliant or insane, given the surroundings. It had a mouthful of humanoid teeth, and creepier, its "hands" were outfitted with two other sets of the same teeth.

"That's sick," David observed, scrunching his face.

"Is this where the phrase _seven hells _comes in?" Keith asked.

"Definitely."

A devilish look crossed over Keith's face. "Let's take these things _down_."

* * *

They couldn't see anything through the crackling of the monitors, Sven and Christiane could hear the noises and the urgent tones coming from the three Voltrons - well, two Voltrons and one Albegas - over the monitor. From what they could gather, Lotor was there, and he had dropped a robeast on them. Actually, it sounded like more than one robeast.

"Have you ever felt more helpless before in your entire life?" Christiane asked him.

Sven closed his eyes. _Once_, he answered her question in his head. _When I woke up on Ebb and knew I would no longer pilot Blue Lion._

She shook her head as though she had read his thoughts without touching him. "That's dark."

He looked surprised. "Do you know what I was thinking?"

"No." She exhaled. "But I don't need to know. The look on your face tells me how dark your thoughts go, Sven." She looked back up at the screen. They still couldn't make out any visuals. "You think maybe you can come back from the darkness and tell me what I can do to help them?"

"There's not much you can do at this point." He stood slowly, drawing in a deep breath. "You stay here. I'm going to fight." Activating his makeshift VoltCom, he drew out his Black Ice tech armor and glanced back at her. "Cannons. There are cannons at the top of the camp that you can activate from here. You're a systems analyst, I'm sure you can figure out how to use them."

She nearly hit him. "Over my dead body you're going out there!" Her face crumpled, and she looked as though she might come undone at the seams. "You will get _crushed_!"

"I know."

"So I won't let you go out there." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Help me with the cannons instead. Please."

"Why do you care so much?"

She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. The Norwegian was shocked at how much force the girl had in her. "One, you came and got me out of my downed jet. Two, you listened while I ranted about what Lotor did to me on his ship." She scrunched up her face, looking as though she was trying to drum up a reason he would deem sufficient. "And three, I do _not _want to have to tell Lenora that you're dead."

_Min elskede._

"_Slutten." _He threw up his arms, exasperated. "You win, Christiane Kogane. But you fight dirty."

She shrugged, a satisfied smirk on her face. "Hey, I grew up as a ward of the state. I did what I had to do to survive. So tell me something I _don't _know."

* * *

Lotor watched the scene with the robeasts unfold before him. Well, he was watching it as best he could - much to his dismay, it was tough to see any of the action on the monitors due to the blizzard. His sentiment was shared by Wade and Cossack.

"I really wanted to see Maahox's inventions in action," Wade grumbled, fingers fumbling with the control panel. "He told me he had three spectacular robeasts in the works. I am so disappointed we can't see them."

"And worse," Lotor shot out, "we won't be able to see them destroy Voltron."

Cossack was surprised by the king's remark, but said nothing. Lotor had been hell-bent on being the one to destroy Voltron, so much so that he recalled Maahox's Predator Robeast as it was on the verge of destroying the quote-unquote mighty robot. How could he allow these three monstrosities - none of which was as powerful as any of the Predator Robeast's components - to destroy the three Voltrons?

Then a thought passed through his simpleton's mind: what if the purpose of these robeasts was _not _to defeat Voltron? That occult scientist had a brilliantly twisted mind, and the general would not put it past him to purposely sabotage a victory against Voltron today if it meant that the Predator Robeast would claim the victory at a later date.

Looking up at Wade, Cossack smirked, wondering if the Sky Marshal had enough insight to know what was going through his head.

* * *

"Well?"

Romelle felt as though time had stopped. She couldn't breathe. At this very moment, her entire world consisted of Erimar's olive-green gaze, intent on seeking the truth about her marriage from her. She felt as though his eyes would find what they sought, and everything would be over, her marriage included.

"Yes," she finally answered, struggling to get the word out.

"'Yes' what?" He brought her hand to his mouth and grazed his lips lightly over her knuckles. "Finish your statement, Romy."

"Yes, I am married." She swallowed. "Happily."

His lips thinned into a tight smile, but the gleam of amusement never left his eyes. "I asked you to be honest with me, Princess. You're not being honest. I can tell."

She inhaled. "And how can you tell?"

"You're trembling."

"Perhaps that's because you make me nervous, Prince Erimar. My husband would not like the fact that you attempting to seduce his wife in his absence."

Erimar tilted his head thoughtfully for a moment. "Fair enough, Romy. I don't think he would like that at all." Then he shot her a wicked grin, one that sent panic and lust through her in equal amounts. "I _also_ don't think he would like the fact that his wife asked me to stay with her in his absence. But do you know what he _does _like?"

"He likes a lot of things."

"Yes, he does. One of them, in particular, is the Space Marshal of the Galaxy Alliance." His olive eyes met her stunned aquamarine gaze. "Now you're wondering how I know that."

"Amongst other things." She already knew that the Space Marshal was the whore in the backless dress.

"Well, my dear," he breathed to her, "I'm afraid that I cannot share that answer with you. If you want to know why your husband is so taken with the Space Marshal, I'm afraid you'll need to ask him that question yourself."

She closed her eyes and felt herself nodding her head in his direction. The ache in her soul was prominent, forcing its way into a physical manifestation in her body. "I plan on it. When he returns to Pollux, we're going to have a..._discussion_...about what's happening to our marriage."

The quiet that followed worried her.

Since her eyes were still closed, she could not see the way Erimar's eyes looked her over with compassion, or the way his face softened as he perceived her sadness as his own. Yet she could still feel, and she was painfully, acutely aware of the way he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her tightly into his chest. She could feel the pace of his heartbeat quicken, and hers sped up to match. Without opening her eyes, she felt herself melt into his embrace.

"You are going to be my undoing, Princess Romelle," he whispered to her.

"And you will be mine, Prince Erimar."

"Oh?" he teased her. "I will be your undoing, or I will simply be yours?"

She couldn't stop the word from coming out of her mouth. "Both."

"Hmm. I like that answer." He paused momentarily, allowing himself to enjoy the feel of the princess in his arms, imagining what it would be like to bring her and her son back to Tyvel to rule alongside him. _Why _did he feel this way about this woman? Clarissa would have him without question, he knew that much, even if she _had _originally been promised to his older brother. Any number of available women, princesses and queens included, would have thrown themselves at his feet. Why did he want the one woman who was married, and therefore unavailable to him?

And why did she have to be the cousin of his childhood friend?

Erimar had no way of knowing why he was feeling the way he was. But for a few precious moments, with Romelle in his arms, he simply stopped and allowed himself to enjoy.

"Come," she breathed to him in a husky tone. "Before someone sees."

He nodded. "Yes."

Taking his hand, she dragged him to the balcony. She could not take him take to her bed chambers - the nursery was there, and it would be utterly disrespectful to bed someone besides her husband in her marital bed. They would plan for their rendezvous on the balcony and prolong the sweet agony a little while longer.


	17. Blow

_Author's Note__: Being the neurotic author that I am, I'm repeating my previous statement as well as adding on to it - the robeasts in these chapters are part of DDP, and the terms Aidan uses for the weapons are also out of DDP. I figured that since Albegas is the Voltron prototype in my story, it would only make sense for him to use technical terms instead of terms like "Spinning Laser Blades" or "Blazing Sword." __As always, I own nothing except my characters, their morally-bankrupt choices included._

_Thanks to everyone who's still reading along! I love the fact that I have such loyal readers. HEADS UP - there's naughtiness ahead!_

_To Cha - Thanks for your messages. I'm really liking your song choices, so don't be surprised if you see some of them mentioned down the line. And you know I'll be there for you when you decide to tie the knot!_

_To bknbu - Erimar always said that if a woman's heart was broken, well, it's fair game. Looks like he's standing by those words, doesn't it? ;) Keep that AC on!_

_To Sally On - I'm waiting for "Rah frickin' rah" to become the team's stupid cheer. And you're right - Cossack's not as dumb as he looks._

_To Craze - It's about to get a lot hotter where Romelle and Erimar are concerned!_

_To FroofyB - Good to hear from you! And yes, Romelle is going to be a bad girl indeed, but then again, Sven might have it coming to him..._

_To Wade Wells - Watch for the Keith/Christiane conversation to start in the next chapter! (BTW: I'm still waiting for that K/A fic, as well as more K/M!)_

_**Title Song: "Blow" by Ke$ha**_

* * *

At the head of Albegas, Aidan stared down the crazy-looking tentacled robeast. "Are you freakin' _kidding_ me?" he muttered to himself. "_This_ is the best those bad boys could come up with? A giant jellyfish?"

"Hey, if you've ever been to the Jersey Shore in the summertime, you know how bad those things sting," Taye countered.

Thinking of Cliff's "fabulous" place in Jersey, Aidan laughed.

"Well, Dalloway, if we're going to do something, now would be a good time," David pointed out.

"Of course, Rackens. Weapons Protocol Gamma. Does that make you feel better?"

"Much."

Albegas had a few tricks in its arsenal. _Gamma_ was, in honor of David Rackens and his piloting of the blue "gamma" mecha, a pair of dual-barrel pistols. Albegas formed the pistols, aimed at the pink jellyfish, and fired. Two sets of bullets hit the robeast perfectly, one by each side of its face.

As _if _David Rackens would allow anything less than a perfect shot.

"Nice shootin', Rackens!" Jeff shouted. His Vehicle Team faced the ugly muddy-colored robeast, brandishing its huge broad sword. "Okay, team. Spinning laser blades!"

Vehicle Voltron slashed the robeast across the arm with its pair of laser blades. The monster reached for its wound, dropping its sword in the process. "Come on, team!" Jeff urged. "We gotta destroy that thing's sword before he can use it against us!"

The laser blast came out of nowhere, aimed perfectly at the fallen broad sword. Jeff opened up his scanners to full range to see if Commander Hawkins had arrived with the Explorer. No. He vaguely made out a base camp through the blizzard conditions. A base camp with _cannons_?

His communicator crackled again. "Command Jet Explorer, this is Tech Sargeant Christiane Kogane. Did I hit anything useful, or did I just make everything worse?"

The tears sprang to his eyes. "Chris? Is that really you? Are you okay?"

"Yes, it's really me. I'm okay, Jeff, I swear. Your friend's taking good care of me." He could almost hear her smile over the audio. "Now, promise me you'll finish this fight and stay safe. I didn't come this far for you to die on me."

"Never, Chris. Never."

"I can't see anything over the monitors, so I don't know what's going on. Care to fill me in?"

"Three robeasts, Chris. Lucky for us, we've got three Voltrons."

"Oh." There was grief and jealousy in her silence, and he knew how much she wished she was there with her team. "How's Albegas doing?"

"Good. Really good. Rackens is the best gunner in the Alliance."

"Tell me something I _don't _know."

He smiled. "Well, Chris, I've gotta get back to destroying this robeast. Promise me you'll make it out of here okay."

"I promise, Jeff. I love you."

"I love you more." He clicked off the communicator, finally feeling more at ease with the situation. Christiane was safe, and as long as they could destroy these robeasts, they would be too. He just hoped that the three robots would be able to take down Lotor's fleet.

* * *

"Space Marshal? Space Marshal! Len, wake up!"

Kelly shook Lenora awake. Despite the green tea and yoga interludes, the Space Marshal couldn't help but fall asleep at her desk. She hadn't been home in over thirty-six hours, and the stress of worrying about her husband and friends was too much. She was trying to keep it together, but it was difficult on such a small amount of sleep.

"I wish I knew how Jon does it," she murmured as she was roused from her sleep.

"Hmm?" Kelly asked.

"Jon. He doesn't sleep. He only sleeps when I'm in bed with him." An exhausted smile crossed her face. "When I first met him, he could work twenty hours on a ninety-minute nap. He still can. Sometimes I wish _I _could do that."

"Might be nice. But I like to sleep." Kelly scrunched up her face. "You need to sleep, Space Marshal. I know you're waiting for word from the Explorer or a message from Wade, but you're useless if you haven't slept. You should go home."

She shook her head. "I can't. I'm the head of the Alliance. I owe it to everyone to stay awake and be able to meet any challenge head-on."

"You'll never stay awake at this rate," Kelly argued.

"I am fully aware of that. But I'm not leaving until I know what's happening." She shook her head again. "Our teams are fighting too hard for me not to do this for them. They deserve this."

"Space Marshal, you're gonna kill yourself."

"I'm well aware of that." She smiled. "I'm _also _well aware of the fact that I'm grounding the Explorer and the Vehicle Team once they return from this mission. They're grounded until the next mission is supposed to take off."

"Ooh, harsh. That's supposed to be in about ten weeks, right?"

Lenora couldn't keep the grin off her face. "Mmm-hmm."

"Does your husband know this?"

"Nope." She shrugged. "But the way I figure, he owes me."

Kelly laughed. "You are one mean Space Marshal."

"Well, it keeps him respectful." She laughed. "And it keeps _me _from going insane."

"Well, I suppose if _I _was married to Jon Hawkins, I'd wanna keep him home too." Kelly looked over at her friend. "I mean, you _did _marry one of the handsomest men in the Alliance, Len. I don't blame you for wanting to ground the Explorer."

"I also have a gut feeling," Lenora continued, "that once we get Tech Sargeant Kogane back, she's going to want to spend time at home with Captain Aki. I'd like to give her that time." She understood too well how it felt to miss her loved one when he boarded the Explorer. "After this fiasco, I'd say she's earned it."

Kelly placed her hand on the Space Marshal's shoulder. "I'd say you've both earned it."

* * *

From the balcony, there had yet to be a better day on Pollux in recent history. The sun was radiant, the waters were calm, the sky was the most incredible shade of blue. It was an even better day than Bandor's and Emma's wedding day.

It was too bad that the royal couples on Pollux were going from a vow of loyalty and commitment to an extramarital affair.

Romelle knew in her heart that it was only a matter of time before she succumbed to her body's wishes and desires. She wanted Prince Erimar. But she didn't just crave physical pleasure from him; she wanted desperately to be happy again. She'd been happy with her husband once. That seemed like a long time ago - too long, really.

She gripped the railing, acutely aware of the prince's body pressed next to her side.

"Romy," he began, "is this what you really want?"

"Yes," she answered breathlessly.

Imperceptibly, Erimar brought his arm along the length of Romelle's, hooking his pinkie onto hers without looking over at her, causing pleasure to shoot through her arm. "I'm still an honorable man, Romy. And you're still married, regardless of how happily that may be." His face hardened, looking out onto the picturesque landscape in front of them. "I am going to return to my guest room. Do not go there for at least fifteen minutes - I want you to be sure of what you are doing. If you are not there in thirty minutes, I will know that you've changed your mind about this, and I won't hold it against you."

She nodded. "I respect that, Erim. Go now."

"Indeed." Turning to her, he inclined his head, lifting her hand to his mouth and grazing his lips along her knuckles. She felt as though she were about to explode with sensations. Before she could, he gently dropped her hand and walked away from her without a glance back. Absent of his touch, she felt her entire body ache for him.

There was no question in her mind.

Once he was gone, Romelle returned to her bedroom, the turret room that she and Sven had shared throughout their marriage. It wasn't the largest bedroom, as their king-sized bed took up most of the space, but it was definitely the most luxurious. The cream-colored silk sheets were topped with a matching hand-embroidered comforter, edged in organza ruffles. The rest of the room was painted in varying shades of blue, from pale to royal to navy and darker. The dark wood floors were covered in runners in neutral colors, accented with cream and blue. She kicked off her shoes and walked barefoot along those runners now.

Looking over to the adjacent nursery, she felt guilty. The door was closed, but she knew Rosalie was in there with Erik, silently judging her. So be it. Quietly, Romelle slid out of her usual full-length dress and changed into something a little different. She had commissioned the royal seamstress to make her a few dresses similar to Emma's - short-sleeved with a crew neck, and a full knee-length skirt with hidden pockets. The one she chose to put on now was in a shade of pink so pale it could only be described as a wash. She wished she had better undergarments, but there hadn't been any need for frilly underpinnings in a long, long time.

Slipping her feet into red satin ballet flats, she checked her reflection in the mirror and, satisfied with how she looked, tip-toed out of the room and made her way over to guest wing. Her heart hammered away in her chest as she took the elevator to his floor. It was nerve-wracking and exciting, living on the precipice of being caught, and it only goaded her further.

Across from the elevator shaft was a huge grandfather clock. She thought about how her father had loved those clocks, and had insisted upon placing them everywhere he could in the castle. As she stepped off the elevator, she could tell that twenty minutes had passed. She was right on schedule.

Finding his room, she hesitated briefly before knocking on the door.

Erimar drew a breath as he opened the door. "Your highness," he greeted her cordially. "Please, come in."

"Thank you, your highness," she answered, following the same protocol. She entered into his suite, and he locked the door behind her.

"Is it wrong to say I'm glad you're here?" he asked, running his fingers nervously through his auburn hair.

"No. I'm glad to be here. I _want _to be here." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I want to be with _you_."

He needed no further invitation. Closing his olive-green eyes, Erimar wrapped his muscular arms around Romelle's waist and began placing kisses everywhere - her forehead, her cheekbones, her nose, her chin, her neck, her collarbones, the hollow of her cheeks - anywhere and everywhere she had exposed flesh. Then, once her eyes closed and she began to gasp with pleasure, his mouth found hers and he kissed her, forcefully and passionately.

"Is it too soon to get you out of this dress?" he asked.

"No."

Erimar unzipped her dress and helped her step out of it. "Your turn," she teased him, pushing him backwards towards the bed. "Don't disappoint me."

"Never, my princess." He gave her a naughty grin, and everything else in the world fell away as she felt things that had been absent from her life - and from her marriage - for a very, very long time. Slowly, very slowly, she began to remove the prince's clothing, savoring the anticipation of being completely undressed with him.

* * *

Allura faced down the robeast at the head of Voltron. She didn't wait for Keith to give directions; she took charge herself. "Form Titanic Trident!"

"Nice one, Allura," Lance commended her.

The third robeast, the one with three sets of teeth, charged at them. She noticed Vehicle Voltron throwing one of its spinning laser blades to help them out - this robeast was obviously larger and tougher than the other two. They were going to need as much help as they could get.

The jellyfish-like robeast refused to die; Albegas continued shooting at it. Even with its perfect aim - "Of _course _they have perfect aim," Lance grumbled - the pink tentacled blob refused to stay down. It was only a laser cannon shot that took the pink mass down for good.

"A laser cannon?" Allura asked, frowning. In the distance, she could make out a base camp with cannons on the roof, and automatically, she knew it was Sven. Sven had blown up the robeast.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Hunk shouted.

"Let's not think about that now, Hunk," Pidge admonished. "Voltron's power levels are down by almost a third. If we don't take care of these other two robeasts fast, no one will have any power left to defeat them!"

"It's a good thing we've got one robeast down, and plenty of help," Keith mentioned, referring to the other two robots and Sven on cannons. It _had _to be Sven, who else could it be?

Then a new voice came over the general communications channel, one which they recognized immediately. "In addition to your aforementioned _plenty of help_, we've brought back-up. All weapons, fire!"

Commander Hawkins and the crew of the Explorer.


	18. Family Portrait

_Author's Note__: Sorry about the delay in this chapter - I had a short story ("Senior Night") that was dying to get out. Fun story, but it was definitely high-maintenance and demanded every spare moment of my time. Now that's over, and we can get back to our regularly scheduled programming. Thanks to everybody for hanging in there! I've got the best readers._

_I only own my own characters, and that's it._

_To Cha - Thanks for all your correspondence. Love it!_

_To bknbu - Did I not tell you to keep that AC on stand-by?_

_To Craze - Unfortunately, Romelle's not the first partner in her marriage to have an extramarital affair. Refer to SLY for more details, specifically Chapter 28, "Teenage Dream."_

_To Emie Mac - I've missed you, Love! Good luck with getting the computer working._

_To Sally On - I had a feeling you were on vacation. Hope it was fantastic!_

_To Wade Wells - As you know, two can definitely play at that game. And watch for an important scene in this chapter!_

_**Title Song: "Family Portrait" by P!nk (it doesn't matter how many times I hear this song, it still makes me cry)**_

* * *

The rage that flashed through Lotor's body as he watched the destruction of the first of the robeasts was evident, even without words. Or perhaps _especially _without words - the Haggarium flashes alone scared Cossack. Wade never flinched. "_Where_ is Maahox! The Voltron Force and its allies are defeating his robeasts yet _again_!"

In the back of his mind, Cossack remembered his earlier thoughts about the occult scientist, the Predator Robeast, and the separate egos on the ship. This turn of events was hardly surprising.

"Lotor," Wade said warningly, "you need to calm down. There are still two robeasts."

"Yes," Lotor hissed, "and there are _three _Voltrons, _and _the Stellar Ship Explorer, _and _a base camp that's firing on us." He paused his rant, and suddenly he realized that he knew everything about the base camp. After all, he'd been on Crydor once before; back when he thought that former Voltron Force member was going to betray his old teammates. His demeanor changed. "Cossack?"

The general flinched as though he'd been physically struck, "Yes, Sire?"

"I want you to redirect the ship's firepower. Aim for the base camp. I want it destroyed."

Cossack switched on the viewing monitor at full power. Even with the magnifications and clarifications, he could barely see through the static and the blizzard conditions. Wade moved forward to help him out. "If I had my tech sargeant here," he muttered to Cossack, "she would use a computer system to remove everything in the way so that I could get a clear visual of the base camp." He scowled.

"What was that look for, Sky Marshal?" Cossack asked. It was a brilliant idea; he attempted to scan through the computer to see if he could find any system that would do what Wade had just suggested. "I may have something here, just give me a few minutes to download it."

Wade sighed, aggravated. If his old tech sargeant was there - well, technically, she wasn't a tech sargeant at that point, nor was she a lieutenant; she was transitioning to Space Marshal when she was working for him - she would have brought that computer system up in under ten seconds. He supposed that Cossack was the best he could do in the given situation.

Once the program downloaded, they moved any obstacles and static out of the way until they had a clear view of the base camp. The cannons were still firing, though they were firing at the robeasts, not at Lotor's command ship. Cossack pursed his lips. _Perfect._

The command ship began to fire all weapons at the base camp. Their firepower was relentless. Merciless. Cossack had only one mission: to destroy it. And he wasn't about to mess it up.

* * *

"THE BASE CAMP!" Jeff screamed over the intercom as he watched the camp take hits from Lotor's command ship. "No! Commander, you've gotta cover the base camp - Christiane's in there! We've got the robeasts, you get the base camp."

"On it, Jeff." Hawkins knew how much the tech sargeant meant to his Air Team captain. "All weapons, fire at the command ship. Full power!"

"Son of a..." Aidan's voice trailed off. "Okay, Albegas. We've got two robeasts and two Voltrons. Let them take care of the robeasts. Our mission has shifted - we've gotta help the Explorer take down the command ship."

"You heard my Amigo," Morgan murmured. "Our girl Chris is in there. We've gotta protect the base camp."

"Exactly. Weapons Protocol Beta."

In honor of Taye's and Christiane's red "beta" mecha - and Christiane's skill with a bo and spears - Albegas formed a pointed spear. It wasn't as effective as Weapons Protocol Alpha or Gamma, but it did its job well enough. The robot threw the spear at the command ship, piercing it through its hull. Aidan wasn't sure of how much damage it had done, but if it was even enough to slow their enemies, he would take it.

Watching Albegas with its spear, Allura wondered if Voltron's Titanic Trident was cutting it. "Pidge," she communicated over the open intercom, "do you think Voltron could form my crossbow with Blue Center?"

"Not without Vince, I don't think," Pidge frowned. "Why, do you think the Titanic Trident's not enough?"

"It might not be," she replied honestly.

"It's okay, Allura!" Lance shouted. "Use it like the Blazing Sword! And do it quick, 'cuz Ugly is hot on our tail!"

The robeast with the three sets of teeth lunged towards Voltron. Allura slashed at it with the Titanic Trident, but it hardly slowed the monstrous concoction down. Only when she heard the words "Ray Beam Whip!" out of Jeff's mouth did she notice any slowing on the robeast's part.

Vehicle Voltron had ensnared the robeast with its whip. It didn't last long, but it was just enough time for Lion Voltron to slash it with its Titanic Trident. As the creature began to howl with pain, swinging wildly at both Voltrons, Aidan narrowed his eyes.

"Dude, I'm gettin' tired of this. Weapons Protocol Alpha."

Albegas put its hands together, much like the Voltron did to create the Blazing Sword. Except for the fact that swords were overrated. Christiane had nicknamed the alpha protocol the "Shining Axe."

Watching Albegas with the axe in its hands, Jeff grinned to himself. "Let's not be outdone here, team. Form Blazing Sword!"

As Albegas used its axe to hack up the muddy-brown robeast, the Voltrons tag-teamed the larger robeast. Between the Blazing Sword and the Titanic Trident, it was easy to overpower the three-mouthed monstrosity.

"Sweet!" Rocky bellowed. "We showed those ugly things who's boss!"

"Yeah, but the problem is the command ship," Cinda pointed out. "It's still shooting. Not only at the three of us, at the base camp, too."

The words had no sooner rolled off Cinda's tongue than the explosion went off. The base camp was on fire.

* * *

At the first explosion, Sven uttered a string of curses in Norwegian, not even bothering to keep the volume of his voice under his breath. Not that Christiane cared. She was prolific enough at stringing along curses in English, none of which she shied away from using now.

"We've got to get out of here!" Sven yelled, grabbing the seer's arm. _"Now!"_

"You don't need to tell me twice!"

His slate-blue eyes turning to ice, the Black Ice tech armor surrounded his body. Grabbing Christiane, he extended the tech armor to her just as the second explosion went off, and a chunk of the ceiling caved in on them. It blocked the only exit.

"Out! We've got to get out!" he screamed, flailing his battle axe at the wall to cut them an escape route. "Blast that Lotor. I swear I'm going to kill him and _keep _him dead someday."

"Um...sure. I don't doubt that." As Sven hacked away at the wall, Christiane gazed at the wall of fire consuming everything in its path, headed straight towards them. "Uh, you think you could hurry up with the emergency exit there, Friend?"

"Got it." He broke through the final layer of stone and pushed against it, making an opening large enough for them to get through. He grabbed Christiane's arm and dragged her into the blizzard.

The scene they entered into was epic. Along with the heavy wet snow falling to the ground, there was a downed pink tentacled robeast, two ugly hacked-up robeasts fighting off three giant robots, the Explorer, and Lotor's command ship, which was still firing at the base camp. Sven would have laughed at the absurdity of it if he weren't concerned about being trampled by either a robot or a robeast. _Or _shot by Lotor's command ship.

Pidge's quick scan detected two life forms on the ground. "Keith! Allura! I've got a reading on life forms on the ground. Two of them. It's gotta be Sven and Christiane."

"Then let's pick them up," Allura commanded. "Where are they now, Pidge?"

"They're near the base camp. We'd better hurry up and get them, before the base explodes!"

Aidan and Jeff both froze at Pidge's announcement. "Stoker, go get 'em, NOW!" Aidan screeched, better than even Jeff could have done. "Whatever you do, don't let Chris get hurt." He paused. "Oh, and the Viking, too. You should probably get him, too."

Pidge choked down a laugh. "On it, Dalloway."

While Albegas and Vehicle Voltron took over fighting the last of the robeasts, Lion Voltron sprinted towards the base. Even though the blizzard was still raging on, it wasn't difficult to make out the burning base camp in the distance - the dark smoke was vividly striking against the whiteout. The only thing they had to be careful about was not crushing either of the people they were attempting to rescue.

"Hunk, Keith," Allura asked, "do you see anything on the ground?"

"Nope. Nothing here," Hunk answered.

Keith's heart was pounding as he scanned the ground near the fiery base camp. He took little comfort in knowing that Pidge had scanned the two of them on the ground. Until he knew Sven and Christiane were safe - meaning they were rescued and physically aboard Voltron - he wouldn't be able to breathe easy.

"Nothing here, either," he added reluctantly.

Suddenly, in the whiteout, Allura could make out two specks. Though she couldn't tell for sure, in her heart she knew it was Sven with Keith's sister in tow. "Voltron! On one knee! Black and Red, pick up our friends!"

Sven saw the robot kneeling down to pick them up. Teeth clenched together, he pushed Christiane in the direction of Voltron. "Go! Black Lion!" he ordered as his hands left her back. "Now!"

"What about you?" she cried out, her voice barely audible over the screeching in the background. The Explorer had managed to land another successful blow to Lotor's command ship, and the noise of the hull being ripped apart was deafening.

"I'll be right behind you. Now go!"

Blindly, she sprinted towards Black Lion. She vaguely noticed Red Lion reverently being placed on the ground to pick up Sven. She ran with everything in her, headed towards the mouth of Voltron's right leg.

In the background, she could hear another explosion occurring in the base camp. It was clear that Lotor wanted the base levelled. She was lucky that she and Sven had gotten out in time. Even though she'd only known him a short time, she considered Sven to be a hero as well as a friend. She also deemed him worthy of the Space Marshal.

She climbed into Black Lion's mouth. She didn't know where she was headed, or where this might go, but she was ready. Anything was better than being Lotor's captive. And if it meant she would end up in Jeff's arms, then she was willing to go anywhere.

Christiane stood at the threshold of the cockpit, staring at the one person she thought she might never see again and might never have a relationship with: her brother.

He looked small in his pilot's seat. Not that he looked small physically; as a seer, she could sense a person's inner torment, and her brother's inner conflict made him appear small to her, like a child. Her turquoise eyes met his, and before he could open his mouth, her hands were on either side of his face. She dropped her forehead to his, and for a brief moment, she sat and absorbed everything from him. There was no need for words.

Fighting off the tears in her eyes for the time being, she strapped herself into the rear seat of Black Lion's cockpit. Bringing up the computer screen, she began to tap the keyboard, desperately trying to send a message to the other mecha that she was safe, as well as determine that Sven was safe.

As she was doing that, Sven had climbed into Red Lion, seated behind Lance in the cockpit. Without greeting Lance, he sent opened the private communication channel to Black Lion. "Christiane! Are you all right?" he asked frantically as he strapped himself in. "Did you get into Black Lion okay?"

She picked up. "Yeah, Sven, I'm okay. I was about to send a message to all of the mecha that I'm safe." She paused, feeling herself smile before she was aware that she was doing it. "Congratulations, Sven Holgersson. You're part of my family portrait now."

"I'm honored," he replied dryly before he cut the transmission off.

She exhaled with relief, then opened up a full communications channel to the rest of Lion Voltron, Vehicle Voltron, Albegas, and the Explorer. "Teams, this is Tech Sargeant Christiane Kogane of Albegas. I am safely aboard one of the Lion Voltron mecha, so if you'd all like to get off this miserable planet, I am more than happy to oblige."

Keith chimed in after her. "After we destroy these two robeasts, I want everyone to know that I am shutting down all communications to Black Lion." He turned his head towards Christiane and winked. "I need time for a private conversation with my sister."

They heard several disappointed groans in reply, but neither one of them cared. "All right then, let's do this." Keith tilted his head in his sister's direction again. "And then, I think we need to have a conversation that's long overdue."

Christiane nodded in reply.

"Okay, teams, you heard the man," Aidan shouted out. "Let's finish off these ugly things. Rah frickin' rah."

"Hey!" Morgan cried indignantly. "You swiped my catchphrase."

A Shining Axe, a Blazing Sword, and a Titanic Trident brought about the end of the remaining two robeasts. Then, as Jeff attempted to contact the Explorer, he noticed Lotor's command ship retreating with a smoking hole in its hull. "Well, teams," he noted, "it looks like Lotor and company won't be bothering us any time soon."

"Indeed," Allura agreed. "All forces, back to Arus. I think we deserve a little bit of a break. And I do believe there's a celebration in order, too."

"Here's to that," Keith agreed. "I'm looking forward to it. But for now, Black's communications are going offline. I'll talk with you all later." And with those words, he shut down all communication channels to and from Black Lion to have a private conversation with his sister.


	19. Somewhere Only We Know

_Author's Note__: Wow, I cannot believe how many readers are looking forward to the conversation in Black Lion. I hope that the characters and I - we all had some input - have done it justice. Thanks especially to Wade Wells for all of her invaluable suggestions and help. _

_Thank you to everyone who's here and still reading. I adore you guys. As always, I only own my characters._

_To Cha - Thank you as always for your correspondence!_

_To Craze - I'm glad you enjoyed the battle scene! But for some reason, I think you'll like the interaction back at the castle even better..._

_To Sally On - That Cossack is a true survivor, and like you've mentioned before, he's a lot smarter than he looks!_

_To PandaRox - You got it!_

_To Emie Mac - __This__ battle's over, but there's always next time._

_To bknbu - Glad you enjoyed the last chapter. And I too am noticing a problem posting reviews on this site. What gives?_

_To Wade Wells - Once again, Love, you're fabulous. I hope you're as satisfied with this chapter as I am - but there's still more to come!_

_**Title Song: "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane**_

* * *

After the battle - and victory - on Crydor, the teams were buzzing with excitement. The fact that the three robots had worked together to destroy three robeasts and send Lotor's command ship off running and in need of some serious repairs was worth celebrating.

Allura was secretly pleased with herself for her actions during the battle. As the lead lion and the center of Voltron, she had taken very little direction from Keith. She had commanded the team to the best of her ability, and even though she knew they had other allies on the battlefield with them, she couldn't help but think that she had helped in bringing about the day's victory.

Heading back to Arus as five separate lions, the princess was overwhelmed with pride. Nothing could make her feel better, nothing could ruin her mood. The private audio channel to Blue Lion beeped, and she answered it.

"Princess Allura? It's Morgan."

Her heart sank.

"Princess...I'd like to speak with you."

Well. _That _ruined her good mood. "Go ahead," she replied brusquely.

"Not like this. My husband is in Blue Mecha with me. I'd prefer for our conversation to be private."

"Is it about Keith?"

"Partially."

Allura gritted her teeth together before she answered. How should she respond to this? She wanted no part of Morgan Feld Rackens, and yet she seemed to be the key to understanding Keith. It was sad. Only days ago, she thought she knew exactly who Keith was as a person. It was only now, when his sister and his ex-girlfriend and a whole bunch of other misfits who masqueraded as his old friends had been introduced, that she had no idea who Keith really was.

It bothered her tremendously.

The words found their way out of her mouth without her even knowing. "Then I will speak with you when we get back to the castle, Mrs. Rackens. I will call for you after we land and get settled."

"Until then, Princess." Morgan paused. "I don't know about you, but I would love to be a fly on Black Lion's wall right now."

Allura smiled. On that aspect, she did agree. "I'm with you, my dear. I shall speak with you later." Then she cut off communications. She wanted to revel in her victory a little while longer before she had to face reality.

* * *

With his sister in the rear seat, Keith found it easier to hold a conversation. If he wasn't looking directly at her, he could stay Captain Kogane, instead of reverting back to Akira-chan. The latter would automatically transport him back to when he was twelve years old. That year, he lost his parents and his sister, and had been placed in his first foster home.

Essentially, the worst year of his life.

"Are you all right?" he finally asked. He was gentle - reverent, almost. This woman in Black Lion had his same eyes and hair color. She looked like him, but he knew so little about her. Where else could he start after twenty years of not knowing his sister?

In the rear seat, Christiane touched her lower lip. "I'm fine, I think," she answered hesitantly. She trembled, the gravity of her situation now finally beginning to sink in. When she had been captive on Lotor's command ship, she had forced herself to get through it without dwelling on each event. Even on Crydor with Sven, she felt safer, but not rescued. _Now _she finally felt rescued.

She didn't say anything else for a long time.

In part, she wanted him to work. She had tried to bridge the gap between them twelve years ago, and he couldn't do it. She didn't blame him, exactly - she understood all too well where his feelings of hurt and loss and helplessness had stemmed from, and she could see how they had transformed along the way to apathy and fear. Fear of rejection, fear of love, fear of letting anyone too close. Even though Keith was her blood, she couldn't just let him off the hook for hurting her.

On the other hand, the flashbacks were starting to manifest. Wade knocking her unconscious at Sullivan's Bar. Lotor striking her and splitting her lip. Lotor raping her repeatedly for hours; though he hadn't been cruel or violent with her in his bed, he had done the act without her consent. Her escape ship being blasted at and crashing onto Crydor. Her horror at Sven hacking his way into her downed ship.

She'd been through seven hells in this ordeal.

Finally, after what seemed like ages of quiet, Keith cleared his throat and started again. "Is there anything you'd like to tell me about what happened? I'm here if you'd like to talk."

Well, it was a start. It wasn't anything earth-shattering or groundbreaking, but it was a start. She realized how hard this was for him, but then again, it was hard for her too. She had been hurt. Her _brother _had hurt her. Although she had accepted it a long time ago, she now wondered if she had ever really forgiven him for not wanting to forge a relationship with her once he knew she was at the Academy. "What's there to say, Keith? Wade hit me. Then Lotor hit me. He chained me upright and he hit me. He split my lip." She paused, swallowing back the horror at her memories. Then, softly, she added, "He raped me."

The words, barely audible over the roar of Black Lion, made Keith freeze. Putting Black on auto-pilot, he muttered, "Did you just say what I think you said, Christy?"

"Yes." She was emotionless. There would only be facts right now. "Lotor raped me. Repeatedly."

Keith slammed both fists on the control panel.

"Don't tell Jeff or Morgan." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Please. They will freak out, and I don't want them to do that. I just want to heal and move on."

He drew a sharp breath. "I. Will. _Kill._ Him," he growled, narrowing those turquoise eyes. "I will make him regret the moment he laid a hand on you. I'll make him regret even _thinking _about capturing you."

"Keith, calm down. It's in the past, and I just want to move on. Really, I just want to move on." She pursed her lips together. "See, this is why I don't want Jeff or Morgan to know. If _you're _freaking out, and you haven't seen me in a dozen years, imagine how bad _they'll _freak out."

Though she hadn't said it to hurt him, he felt like Christiane had sucker-punched him in the jaw. What she said implied that they were more important than he was. In a way, that was true - Morgan and Jeff had been there for her more than he ever had been. But they were there because _he _had asked Jeff to be there, and wherever Jeff went, Morgan inevitably followed. If she didn't already know that, it was time that she learned.

"Christy," he started uncomfortably, a small amount of anger at the edge of his voice, "did you ever stop to think that maybe Jeff has been there for you because I _asked _him to be there? And Morgan is my ex-girlfriend, so no matter what, she and I will always love each other to some degree. Don't you think that maybe she's there for you because of me, too?" He paused. His breathing was coming in harsh gasps, and he forced himself to calm down so he didn't end up screaming at his sister. "In my own twisted way, I _did _care, even if I wasn't able to show it that day on the quad. Just knowing you were at the Academy made me feel like I was watching over you, and when I went to Arus, I asked someone to watch over you in my place."

She knew he couldn't see her, but she nodded anyway. She already knew that information, both from her visions and what she'd been told by Morgan and Jeff. She was the seer; she would not let her emotions get the better of her the way they were getting him. "I do know that. One of my first visions was of you, looking like this, telling me pretty much what you're saying right now."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Your _visions_?"

"I'm a seer, Akira-chan. I get visions. And I read things." She paused, running her tongue over her lower lip. By now, the crevice in it had become almost comforting in a twisted sort of way. "I was able to see some things in you when I first came aboard Black Lion."

"You're a _seer_?"

"Yes." She nodded again. "There are a lot of things you have to learn about me."

Keith shook his head. "These last few days have been the craziest of my life," he murmured, staring at the control panel. "I don't know what to say to you or how to make everything up to you."

There was a long span of quiet in between. Finally, when she spoke up, it was in a small voice. "Akira-chan, you've just got to let me in. Tell me, when will you? When are you gonna let me in?"

"I'm trying, Christy. I swear to God I'm trying."

From the anguish in his voice, she could tell that he meant it. She wasn't sure if she was ready to forgive him yet, but she could feel that she was on the path. It would take a few more days, a few more talks. Maybe she could even talk to some of his friends on the Voltron Force, suss them out for information, or at least for clues as to who her brother was as a person. It would take effort, but it would be worth it if she finally got her brother back after twenty years.

* * *

Once the lions had landed in the dens, the five pilots and two passengers rode up the elevators to Castle Control. Coran, Larmina, Vince and Daniel were all waiting there for them. They looked like they had never left.

"You're back!" Larmina cried out, rushing towards her aunt. "Did you find Keith's si - oh, hi, Sven. What the heck are _you _doing here?"

The Norwegian glanced at the cadet with amusement. "Nice to see you again, Larmina. Thank you for the warm welcome."

She blushed. "I didn't mean it like _that_," she stammered.

Daniel's eyes wandered over to the female by Keith's side. She looked like him - _A definite family resemblance there, _he decided - and suddenly felt very humble. This woman was his idol's sister. Without realizing it, he walked over, his eyes open wide with awe. "Keith, this is your sister?"

"Yes, she is. Everyone, this is Christiane," Keith introduced her. "Christiane, this is the Voltron Force: Princess Allura in Blue Lion, Pidge in Green, Lance in Red, Hunk in Yellow."

"Hiya," Hunk greeted her.

"These are the three cadets: Daniel, Vince, and Larmina. Larmina is Allura's niece as well as the Lady of Arus."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Larmina offered diplomatically. Keith could feel Allura's pride at her niece's development. It was a comforting reassurance that he hadn't lost all of his connection to his girlfriend, no matter how badly he'd bungled their relationship in the past few days.

"And this is Coran, our prime minister as well as castle diplomat and strategist."

Coran cleared his voice before extending his arm to shake Christiane's hand. "It's truly an honor to meet you, Ms. Kogane. Your brother has been an honorable servant of this castle and this planet for many years. The people of Arus, royalty and non-royalty alike, are truly indebted to him."

"That's wonderful to hear," Christiane replied as she shook Coran's hand. She used the same diplomatic tone of voice that Larmina had used moments earlier. "I am very proud."

After she released Coran's hand, Christiane headed over to Sven. A pleading look was shining in her eyes, and without words, the Norwegian nodded in understanding. She wanted him to keep his mouth shut about the things she had discussed with him on Crydor. As far as the beating and the rape were concerned, then yes, he would say nothing. As far as discussing the idea of The One with his _elskede_, well, that was entirely different.

"We made it," he finally cracked.

"Yeah. You did good, Sven."

"_Takk." _He wrapped an arm around the seer's shoulder. "Now, we should get out there to greet your boyfriend when the Vehicle Team lands. And Albegas, too."

Lance's face lit up. "And let's not forget about the Explorer. I need to sneak onto that thing when it lands." Ignoring the curious expression on his old roommate's face, he continued, "Come on, Viking. We've got a beanbag chair to steal back."

* * *

When the door to his on-site lab creaked open, Maahox thought for sure it would be Lotor, ready to pounce on him for the failure of the three robeasts. He winced in anticipation of the king's angry words, readying himself to recoil from whatever physical intimidation might follow.

There would be none of it. Instead, it was Wade at the door.

"Maahox." The Sky Marshal greeted the occult scientist formally. "By now, I am sure you have heard that the three robeasts have fallen in battle against Lion Voltron, Vehicle Voltron and Albegas."

"Indeed." Maahox squirmed. "Tell me, how is His Highness taking it?"

"Not well. He took out all shortcomings on Cossack, of course. However, I have mollified him for the time being."

"Oh? How did you manage to accomplish _that_?"

Wade smiled a heartless grin. "Cossack told me that you had this..._monstrosity_...called a Predator Robeast. Is that true?"

"Yes, it is." He wondered why the general ever would have thought to tell Wade that. Unless...

"I told Lotor that you were already hard at work performing upgrades on the Predator Robeast. I also told him that you would have sent it out today, but the upgrades are painstakingly slow, and you are quite fastidious with your methods of infusing the five segments with Haggarium. That seemed to pacify him." Wade shook his head. "He's still quite cranky, though."

"Oh, you noticed, did you?" Maahox shook his head. "However, I should thank you, Sky Marshal. It _will _take me a long time to get the Predator Robeast's Haggarium levels high enough to where victory against Voltron would be imminent. It may even take two to three years."

"Think nothing of it." Wade dismissed the thought. "As we agreed upon earlier, you and I are the brains of this operation. I expect to be amazed when you are finished with this robeast." With that, he turned away from the command ship's lab, leaving Maahox to do his work.


	20. Home

_Author's Note__: I was not expecting the immediate onslaught of responses as soon as I posted the last chapter. So I have to start out this chapter with a huge "THANK YOU!" to all of my readers. Like I've said before, you guys are the best._

_The usual disclaimer applies: I own nothing except my characters and whatever hot mess they get themselves into._

_To Cha - I am so glad you enjoyed the interaction between Keith and Chris. There will be more to come on that front._

_To Smithy - Christy may or may not tell Jeff about the rape, but for now, she definitely does not want him to know. A freak-out is the last thing she wants, especially now that she's safe._

_To bknbu - There should be an interesting conversation between Morgan and Allura, as well as Christiane with various members of the Voltron Force. Larmina - much like her "other half" Lenora - is torn between Sven and Hawkins. As for the infamous beanbag chair, well, I'll refer you to the short stories "We Are Young" and "Senior Night" for more of its significance. ;)_

_To Emie Mac - Don't worry, I didn't die. I did go on vacation last week, but it was a working vacation, so very little writing got done. Boo! But now that the battles are over, it means Jeff and Chris finally get their reunion, and I know how you feel about Jeff! (P.S. I've also been spending time watching the subtitled Dairugger series - oh, how Captain Aki really grows on you! If you weren't a fan before, you certainly will be after!)_

_To FroofyB - I am so glad you're enjoying the story! Allura will most certainly make Keith sweat it out; she and Chris are more alike than they know. And as far as the Larmina/Sven stuff, the poor girl is torn about whether she should side with Sven or Hawkins. No clue where that might lead. Not yet, anyway. :)_

_To Craze - This conversation between Allura and Morgan could go one of two ways: really well, or REALLY bad. And I'm sure Nanny might have a thing or two to say about it all, so keep your eyes open for that. Thank you for your input!_

_To Sally On - I, too, love a strong Allura, so her conversation with Morgan should be interesting. AND entertaining! And is it just me, or do you get the sense of a Cossack/Maahox/Wade triangle forming against Lotor?_

_To Wade Wells - YEA! We did GOOD!_

_**Title Song: "Home" by Lisa Hannigan**_

* * *

Albegas landed on Arus before Vehicle Voltron did. Commander Hawkins had recalled the fifteen vehicle mecha back to the Explorer, which was obviously larger and slower than any mecha. Jeff would have grumbled in complaint about it, but since he was so relieved that Christiane was safe, he let it slide. Impressive, especially for the hot-headed Air Team commander.

Aidan, Morgan, Taye and David came rushing into the great hall, eyes looking around for their teammate. The battle was over. They clearly wanted their girl back. Keith and his teammates were there already, waiting.

"DAVID!"

It surprised all of them, Voltron Force included, that Christiane would run to David first. After she raced down the stairs so quickly she might have fallen, the Blue Mecha pilot held his arms out and lifted her up into the air in an embrace. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and her legs around his torso, a few tears free-falling onto her surrogate father's shoulder.

The sight broke Keith's heart.

"Oh, Love, it's okay, you're safe now," he said soothingly, hoisting her up. "Thank God. Wade would have been a bloody goner if we hadn't gotten you back."

Without looking up, she nodded into his shoulder, then reached her arm out for Morgan. The navigator joined in the embrace, wiping away a few stray tears rolling down her own face. Keith felt gutted as he watched Morgan kiss the top of Christiane's head lovingly as a surrogate mother. "It's okay, Baby. We've got you."

The family she had deserved but never gotten. She finally felt like she was home.

Keith swallowed the lump in his throat down as he watched Christiane pick her head up from David's shoulder to wipe the tears off her face. She slid off him to hug Taye and Aidan. As he teammates crowded around her to make sure she was safe, Sven cleared his throat.

"Does her navigator get any thanks?" he joked.

Morgan's mouth dropped open as she took in the sight of her fellow navigator, and she sunk to her knees in shock and disbelief. "Oh, no. Seven hells, _no_. If that's you, Sven Holgersson, then I'm gonna throw my guts up."

"Bathroom's to the left."

"I hate you." Then she began to sob.

With her teammates staring at her, Morgan buried her face in her hands and sobbed harder than she could ever remember. She hadn't sobbed so hard since that day back at the Academy when she found out that Keith and the boys were going to Arus. She remembered holding it together until she found out about Sven's and Len's engagement, and then she just...lost it.

As he approached her, he murmured, "Hey, hey," remorsefully. He lifted Morgan up from the floor and hugged her. She continued to weep, not saying anything, merely laying her head against his chest and mourning what had never been. Her with Keith, him with Len...none of it was ever going to happen now.

He knew what she was thinking - how could he not; they were both like-minded - and with his chin on top of her head, he grieved silently along with her. Words weren't needed. He let his his fellow navigator drain her tears against his chest.

"We all thought you were dead," she finally croaked as the last of her tears fell. Then, in a much quieter voice, she added, "_She _thought you were dead."

_As if that would explain everything, _he thought grimly. "Well, as you can see, I'm not."

"And you're married, and she's married." Her voice was barely a notch above a whisper. "What kind of a mess did you two get yourselves into?"

"Nothing that can't be fixed." A little louder, he told her, "Now, you should introduce me to your husband. Officially."

Morgan rubbed her face with her hands, then smiled sheepishly at him. "So you know I married David, huh? Come on, you should get to know the man who beat your roommate's butt in every shooting match the Academy every held."

"_HEY!" _Lance cried out.

"He's also the guy who taught Len to shoot, so be nice."

She introduced Sven to both David and Taye. He shook hands with both of them, then felt a tap on his shoulder. He felt his eyes widen at the sight in front of him. "Holgersson. I'd like to thank you for rescuing Christiane."

Aidan Dalloway, the guy who hated him more than anyone else because Lenora didn't pick him, held his arm extended for a handshake. In his black-and-white uniform, he was obviously the team captain. Surprised, Sven took his hand and shook it. "Dalloway. There's no need to thank me. She's Keith's sister. I would have done it anyway."

"Of course." The two looked each other over, and Sven swore he could sense the faintest amused grin curling up on the corner of Aidan's mouth. "We'll speak more, Viking. Right now, I think the Explorer may be landing." He shrugged. "When that jerk Hawkins puts his mind to it, that ship can really fly."

"Leave my brother alone," David defended Hawkins mildly.

At the mention of the Explorer, Christiane's turquoise eyes widened. Despite his reservations, Keith was pleased. If his sister was that excited to be with her boyfriend, then he would learn to tolerate it. Maybe even _like _it. After all, it _was _Jeff, his best friend. In hindsight, he realized that there couldn't be a better match for his sister if he'd hand-picked one himself.

* * *

As soon as she shut off the transmission, Lenora laid her head on the desk, a serene smile on her face. Now she could finally relax.

"What was that?" Kelly asked, having come into the office as the transmission came to a finish. "Good news? Bad news? Wait, if it's bad news, don't tell me. I don't think I could handle it right now."

The Space Marshal exhaled, which loosened the knot of tension she'd carried since she found out that Christiane had been kidnapped. "It's good news, Asimov. I just heard from Jon. They've got Chris, and they defeated Wade at the same time." She smiled. "Now they're all reconvening on Arus to celebrate their victory. I'll give them that - they deserve it."

Kelly sighed, just as relieved. "Oh, that's wonderful. I feel so much better now."

"Me too."

The First Officer shot a half-grin at her superior. "Permission to speak freely?"

"Granted."

"Go home, Len." Kelly rubbed her back soothingly. "You need some sleep. Go relax. I'll take care of everything from here."

"I can't put that on you, Kell."

"Shut up, Stensson. You can and you will." Kelly helped pull Lenora to her feet. "You haven't slept since you found out that Chris had been kidnapped, and you haven't been home, either. So go home. Get in bed. Throw back a few shots of Ciroc if it helps." She grinned. "And remember, the boys are coming home soon."

She nodded. "I guess getting some sleep wouldn't hurt."

Kelly pushed her towards the door. "That gorgeous triplex is calling your name. Go. Catch some ZZZs." She smiled. "Because God knows your husband is gonna be keeping you awake when he's home for ten weeks."

She wanted the Space Marshal to be ready for her husband when the Explorer finally docked back in New York. She didn't want her to cheat on him ever again.

* * *

Once the Explorer docked in Lake Arus, Commander Hawkins and Captain Newley began the task of getting the team and crew off the ship and onto land, where they could make the trek to the castle. Jeff nearly sprinted the entire way there. He was so overwhelmed with emotions - joy, gratitude, determination - that he didn't know which to deal with first. Oh well. He'd figure it out when he got back to the castle.

He fully intended never to lose Christiane again.

"Jeffrey! Slow down!" Cliff laughed. "We all know how excited you are to see Chris again, but have you ever stopped to think that maybe her brother wants to spend time with her, too? And what about Morgan and David?"

"Morganza and the Brit know full well what this experience has done to me," Jeff replied, pausing only long enough to look back at the Land Team captain. "I think they can allow me a little time with my girl."

Lisa bit her tongue, but said nothing. Yes, she knew she was in love with Aidan, but sometimes it made her sad when she thought about the past. Whenever she revisited those years she'd spent as Jeff's girlfriend, thinking he might want to marry her, and it ended with nothing but tears and margaritas at Soltoro, it _still _stung. And it possibly always would.

It was better to focus on the present instead of the past.

Though Jeff led the group, the entire Explorer staff made it to the main hall of the castle at more or less the same time. As he rushed through the doors, he wasn't expecting the sight that awaited him. Well, that was only partially true. He wasn't surprised to find Christiane with David by her side, both of them surrounded by Aidan and Taye. He _was _surprised to see Morgan seeking comfort in the arms of someone he hadn't seen last night; someone tall and dark, with piercing slate-blue eyes.

"Oh my God," he muttered. "The Viking." Without meaning to, he remembered a night too many years ago on the floor of the Explorer, a night where he slipped the guy's wedding band on his own finger and attempted unsuccessfully to comfort his grieving fiancée. Shaking his head, he decided to focus on a happier image. "Chris!"

Christiane turned her head in the direction of the voice. Unable to keep the smile from spreading on her face, she rushed off towards Jeff. He broke away from his teammates and moved towards her until she was there, safe and in his arms. And, most importantly, _alive_.

"Oh my God, Chris, oh my God," he muttered over and over again as he drew her in. "I was so worried. You can't ever let that happen again. I won't let it happen to you again." He grabbed her face and kissed her, holding it long enough for it to be embarrassing.

"Jeffrey! For the love of God, let the girl breathe!" David teased.

"I'm sorry. I am so, _so _sorry, Chris. I should have been there." Setting his sights on David, he retorted, "Shut _UP_, Rackens!"

Christiane laughed, then wrapped her arms around Jeff's neck. "Leave him alone," she told her boyfriend playfully. As she hugged him, she glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the Vehicle Team. "Hi, guys. I hope this guy I've got my arms around hasn't given you too much trouble."

"Oh, not at _all_," Cliff cracked sarcastically. His eyes drifted over to Lisa, who had broken away from the group and wrapped her arm around Aidan's waist. "He merely got wasted on your beloved Ciroc, and snapped at the rest of his teammates." He paused, smirking. "Oh. And did I tell you that he drank absinthe?"

"Blech." Christiane made a face at Cliff, then turned her head back towards Jeff. "You drank _absinthe_?"

"Not one of my finer moments." He winked.

She wrangled her way out of his arms and headed towards Commander Hawkins. He saluted as she approached. "Tech Sargeant Kogane," he greeted, "I am glad to see that you're safe. I've already contacted the Space Marshal. She knows we've got you."

"Fantastic." She hugged Hawkins - she felt like she could have hugged everyone, she was so grateful. "Thanks for looking out for Jeff, Jon," she whispered to him. "I'm sure he was more than a handful."

"Truer words could not be said, Chris. But he's okay, and more importantly, _you're _okay." His eyes wandered over to the Voltron Force. Then, in his regular tone of voice, he asked her, "So, have you spoken with your brother yet?"

Christiane nodded. "I have. I'm assuming you've met the Voltron Lion Force, yes?"

The commander's eyes scanned over the members of the Arusian team. He recognized the princess, of course, as well as her niece. He vaguely recognized Keith and the other Voltron pilots, along with the other two young cadets. Coran, he knew.

He did not know the dark man with the slate-blue eyes. And was that man _glaring _at him? No, it was impossible. "Christiane, who is that? I don't remember him from last night."

Oh, gods. Helplessly, she locked eyes with Morgan, who understood the panic running through her system. "He...he helped me when I was on Crydor, Sir. That man is Sven Holgersson, the royal consort of Princess Romelle of Planet Pollux."

"Oh? He helped you out on Crydor?" Hawkins placed his hand on Christiane's shoulder. "Then, as commander, I'd like to thank him personally."

She blinked. _Oh, heaven help us._

As Hawkins approached Sven, there was nothing his old friends - Keith, Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Morgan, Aidan, Jeff, Cliff, Lisa, Cinda, and Ginger - could do but hold their breaths. Aidan in particular watched the scene unfold, curious about the outcome. He knew what Sven must be feeling, and if the Viking felt anything of what _he _felt, then the commander was as good as dead.

Sven bit his tongue as the commander approached and extended his arm. "I am Commander Jonathan Hawkins of the Explorer. I have heard that you rescued our Christiane while she was on Crydor. I am genuinely grateful to you for your help, and on behalf of the Space Marshal of the Galaxy Alliance, I would like to invite you back to Earth for a proper reward."

It was an odd thing, but as Hawkins spoke to him, the only detail Sven could focus on was the man's left hand. Specifically, his wedding band. Hawkins wore a wedding band of hammered platinum, one that looked suspiciously like it might be from Tiffany. It reminded him of the ring he'd purchased for himself with Lenora, but without the hammered metal. "My name is Sven Holgersson. And there is no need to thank me, I truly only did what was needed for Christiane's sake. She _is _my friend's sister, after all."

One by one, he noticed his friends beginning to exhale with relief over the fact that he hadn't bitten the commander's head off. But he focused on Aidan. Those sapphire eyes burned into him, and for some reason - a reason that would assure Sven that seven hells had indeed frozen over - he wanted to talk with him.

* * *

It took everything in Romelle to pry herself out of her lover's arms.

Erimar was an astounding lover. The things he said to her, the things he did to her - it only reinforced the fact that she wanted to be with him. Perhaps she had been too hasty in threatening her husband about seeking a divorce. Right now, glowing in the wake of Erim's total love, it seemed like a completely plausible idea.

Poor Erik. The boy had no idea of what discord his parents' marriage was suffering.

"You know, Romy," Erimar murmured, his eyes half-closed, "my people would love for me to bring you back to Tyvel as my queen. It would be so easy, and you would be perfect in the role." He turned his head to gaze into her aquamarine eyes. "All you would have to do is say yes."

She curled into him. "Excuse me, that's not such an easy thing to do," she replied playfully, planting a kiss on the strong line of his jaw. "I'm married, remember? My husband and I have a son."

"Oh, yes." The prince smirked at her. "Your son who is in the nursery with his nanny while his mother is making love to someone she's _not _married to, while her husband is off doing God-knows-what for anyone and everyone except his family." He closed his eyes and nodded, satisfied. "Oh, yes. I think that about sums it up."

Romelle sighed. "Yes, I think it does. Quite succinctly, in fact."

Erimar leaned in to place a kiss on her lips. "Why do you continue to torture yourself, Romy? Why do you insist on saving a marriage that's obviously over when you could be happy? You know I would make you happy, and I would treat Erik as though he were my own son. What's keeping you tied to your husband?"

She wrapped herself around his body. "Once you've made those vows, Erim, it's hard to turn your back on them." She snuggled into his chest, feeling like she was finally happy and finally at home. But was the feeling worth breaking up her family over? Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. She wasn't sure yet - only time would tell.


	21. Open Your Eyes

_Author's Note__: I've been waiting to write this chapter for a while. Emie Mac, this one's for you!_

_As always, thank you to everyone who's reading and following along, coaching me, throwing suggestions at me, favoriting me, the works. I am convinced I've got the best readers! I own nothing except my characters._

_To Craze - Let's not forget, Hawkins is __way__ over-protective of Len. I'd like to think that Sven isn't stupid enough to throw the first punch, but then again, maybe not..._

_To Emie Mac - I'm sorry you had to wait the 10.5 hours, but I am glad you found the chapter worth it. Oh, and in case you missed it, this chapter's for you. Hope you like it!_

_To Sally On - Sven's not done messing with Hawkins yet. Uh-oh. But Romelle's busy messing with Sven's mind too, so there's a lot going on with our buddies from Pollux._

_**Title Song: "Open Your Eyes" by Snow Patrol**_

* * *

Allura wasn't a child. She never really had a childhood, not with Zarkon bombing and razing her planet and, of course, killing off her family. She was raised by Nanny and Coran with the strictest care for the protocols of the royal house of Arus.

Which meant, of course, that Allura was acting like a child now, at least according to Nanny.

She sat cross-legged on her bed, pouting, as Nanny and the chambermaids fixed up her quarters for high tea. Not that Allura would have minded having a guest in her personal quarters for high tea _if _she had liked the guest. And the princess decidedly did not like Morgan Feld Rackens.

Well, technically - if she had to admit it to herself - it wasn't that Morgan was a bad person. In fact, if she hadn't been Keith's ex-girlfriend, maybe she would have even liked her. As it stood, though, Keith regarded the woman as "the one that got away," effectively slapping Allura across the face as he did. And now she was having the woman as a guest for tea.

"Allura, stop acting like a child."

The princess crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't really care to do this, Nanny. I'm doing it for Keith. And, in a way, for myself. If I can learn any information as to why Keith acts the way he does, then this will all be worth it." She scowled. "Let's see if I can make it through, though."

Skeptically, Nanny raised her eyebrows at her. "Princess, I thought I taught you better than to act this way." Moving away from the bed and back towards the table, she began to set up for high tea. "I thought you had better manners than what I am seeing right now." Then, turning her attention to the other maids, she remarked, "I hope you ladies don't mind finishing up here. I would like to see Sven and ask for my little man Erik."

Drea, the dark-haired chambermaid, nodded enthusiastically. "Don't worry, we've got it from here. And please tell Sven to send our love to his son." Obviously, at only a year old, Erik had garnered quite the fan club.

Nanny hitched up her skirt and left the room without saying good-bye to Allura. As the door closed behind her, the princess looked down at her comforter and bit her lower lip. She was sufficiently shamed.

Moving off the bed, the princess headed to her private bathroom, making some attempt with hair and make-up to look presentable for her guest. After all, she wanted Morgan to remember that she was both royalty _and _Keith's current girlfriend. She was so engrossed in her reflection in the mirror - how could that confused, forlorn face be staring back at her? - that she missed the knock at the door, and Drea had to answer for her.

Morgan was there in her quarters.

* * *

There was no one on the balcony. Daniel had assured them of that.

The cadet was still awestruck by Keith's sister, and being a seer, Christiane used that information to her advantage. She recruited Daniel to help her have some privacy with Jeff, and he was so honored that he went above and beyond the call of duty, scouting out secluded areas for them to be alone. He found a side balcony, much smaller than the main balcony where Larmina liked to do yoga, which had breathtaking views of the Arusian mountains. After he made sure that the coast was clear, they spilled out onto the balcony, with the cadet tactfully standing guard.

"He's a nice kid," Jeff commented.

It was late afternoon, and the sun was just beginning to hang lower in the sky over the mountains. It was a glorious sight, and Jeff stood behind Christiane and wrapped his arms around her. For once in his entire life, he wasn't thinking; his mind was a canvas of blank thoughts as they both stared off into the horizon.

"It feels so good to be here with you, Jeff. Needless to say, the last few days have been rough." She closed her eyes and laid her head back against his chest. "Now, I know this is gonna sound silly, but despite everything I've been through in this ordeal, the worst of it wasn't Wade, or Lotor, or Crydor. It was saying good-bye to you in the hangar before you boarded the Explorer. I really didn't think I could go another eight weeks without you."

"I know, Chris. I know." He entwined his fingers with hers. "I have to be honest, leaving gets harder and harder with every mission. It's tough on me, it's tough on Lisa. And Commander Hawkins hides his emotions very well, but I know the missions are killing him, too."

They remained locked in a silent embrace for a moment. Her contented sigh was the only sound either of them made as they continued to stare out at the mountains. "You kept me going through the whole thing, Jeff. Every step I took brought me closer to you, and I just kept telling myself that if I could get back home to you, it would be worth any agony I went through in the process."

"Oh, Chris. I love you." He kissed the side of her face. "I know I sound stupid for saying this, but I was gonna ask you to marry me when the Explorer was on leave the last time." Feeling slightly embarrassed, he took one hand and brought it to the back of his head. "I mean, duh, you already knew that - you're a seer. And I felt so stupid when you turned me down that I made some crack about us finding our own place to live." He shook his head. "But I knew you knew what I was thinking."

"I'm glad you brought this up. I wanted to talk to you about that." She turned to look at him and placed her hands on both sides of his face. "Jeff, having been through this whole ordeal...it really opened my eyes. And I realized I don't want to live my life without you. I don't want us to go through life not being together." As the smile grew larger on her face, she added, "You're The One, you know. I never told you that, but you are. You're The One. You're _my _One."

Jeff felt like he should be stunned, but he wasn't. Somehow, he'd always known that Christiane was The One, even back before they started dating. He gathered from the look in her eyes that she understood.

Before he knew what he was doing, he had taken her hand and sunk down onto one knee. Sure, she probably knew what was coming, but he didn't care. "I love you so much, and I want us to spend our lives together. Christiane Eiko Kogane, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife when we get back to Earth?"

She nodded, her face overcome with an expression of pure joy. "Yes. Now stand up so I can kiss you."

The Air Team captain quickly jumped to his feet to kiss his new fiancée. Then he placed his hands on her waist and lifted her up, spinning her around, until they were both laughing and dizzy. They were both excited and eager to share the news, and they figured they might as well get started.

Walking towards the door to the castle, Jeff stopped. "I'm sorry I don't have a ring for you, Chris."

"It's okay. It's not about the ring, it's about you and me."

"Fair enough." He shrugged. "But I don't think we can afford much more than a wedding at city hall and wedding bands from a street vendor."

"Do I look like I care?" Christiane asked playfully. "Jeff, I love you so much, and I really don't give a care in seven hells about whether or not I wear a big diamond or a white dress or anything like that. I just want to hurry up and get in front of the clerk so I can become Mrs. Aki."

"That's good to know."

"_Well," _she teased, "then again, I might be a _little _upset if I don't get to have an Opera Pastry at La Bergamote Patisserie afterwards."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her hard on her cheek. "I think we can handle that. Now, let's go tell everyone that this story actually has a happy ending."

* * *

Lance and Ginger were enjoying each other's company as they had a late lunch in the castle. Lance had spoken to the kitchen staff, asking them to prepare something light - he didn't want either one of them to have a full stomach. He also requested food that would go well with gin. He was ready to take her back to his room and keep her there for the evening, and he knew that they would undoubtedly be breaking open that bottle of Bombay Sapphire once they got there.

The kitchen staff had prepared the perfect meal for them - a light pasta dish with spring vegetables and locally-caught whitefish dressed in a little bit of olive oil. Lance thought it would go perfectly with gin. He smiled at her as he took a forkful of pasta.

"This is really nice, Lance," Ginger sighed. "I'm really enjoying being with you. I didn't think that either one of us would feel like this after so many years, but sometimes I like being wrong."

"Well, in this case, I like the fact that you're wrong, too."

She twirled the pasta around on her fork. "I'm not looking forward to going back on the Explorer," she admitted.

"Why not? Because you're gonna miss my good looks and charming personality?"

"Well, it's not just that." She looked away from Lance and off to the side. "There are other things happening on the Explorer that I don't like to think about. You know, Lisa's not happy on the Voltron Force. She wants to stay on Earth so she can be close to Aidan."

"I still can't believe they're together." He took another mouthful of pasta.

"No kidding. Though I suppose it was one of the positive things to come out of Wade's reign over the Garrison." She set her fork down. "Once Keith went off in search of Black Lion and Len went into hiding, Commander Hawkins insisted that we all make ourselves scarce. He didn't want the Vehicle Team questioned. I mean, it was okay for you, Hunk, and Pidge to hang around the Garrison - you guys hadn't seen Len since graduation. But the rest of us had, so we had to get out before we were interrogated."

"Yeah. I can see how Wade would have pulled a stunt like that." Despite how delicious his meal was, he placed his fork down. Talking about the former Sky Marshal always made him lose his appetite.

Ginger nodded. "So Lisa and I moved in together. We didn't have a lot of money, so she and I got a one-bedroom apartment and bought bunk beds. Shut up," she told him. "Morgan and David took a leave of absence from their teaching jobs at the Academy and holed up in their Victorian home for a while. Jeff moved in with them. As for the rest of my teammates - and Aidan, too - they all just disappeared."

"Fell off the radar." Lance nodded. "So how does that get around to Lisa and Aidan?"

She grinned. "Well, Lisa and Jeff had been dating for a few years, and the frustration of not being on the Voltron Force was getting to Jeff. Modoch too, but _that's _another story for another day." She paused to take a sip of water. "I guess one night Lisa and Jeff went to eat at this Mexican joint called Soltoro with Morgan and David, and the couple at the table next to them gets engaged. At this point, they'd been together for a long time, so Lisa asks Jeff when he thinks they're gonna get married. He tells her 'Never,' and she rushes off to the bathroom in hysterics. She breaks up with him right there and then, which makes for one heck of an awkward and miserable meal for the other two."

Lance laughed. "So where does Aidan come into the picture?"

"Do you remember that weekend job Lisa had when we were students at the Academy? How she used to work at that low-end jewelry shop on Ninth and 47th? Well, she resumed the job after she broke up with Jeff to keep her mind occupied. And lo and behold, one Friday night, in walks this platinum-blond Russian chick with Aidan right behind her. They were on a date, and she wanted to see if she could find any good jewelry on the cheap."

He laughed. "Dalloway was always a ladies' man, that's for sure. It's gotta be the long blond hair. Chicks dig it."

"Eh, maybe. So Aidan recognizes Lisa behind the counter and strikes up a conversation with her while his date is browsing the jewelry cases. The make small talk for a while, he tells her there's nothing serious going on between him and Mother Russia. He writes down his phone number on her business card and tells her to call him. It takes a while for her to work up the nerve, but she finally does, and the rest is history."

"That's the best story I've heard in a long time." Lance pushed his chair away from the table. "It makes me want a cigarette."

"Stop it." Ginger also pushed her chair away from the table. "Where to now, Cadet McClain?"

"I was thinking we'd head back to my room, Cadet Ellington."

"You are so _naughty_."

"Wait 'til we get back to my quarters. Then I'll show you how naughty I can _really _be. Besides, didn't you tell me on Crydor that I could warm you up any way I wanted, clothing optional?"

She winked. "Indeed I did."

"I plan on doing exactly that."

"Ooh. Lead the way, then."

As Lance escorted Ginger back to his quarters, Aidan caught up with them. Knowing what was about to transpire between them, he decided to make his appearance short and sweet. "Hey McClain," he shot out, "I need some help."

"I am _not _gonna help you with _that_, Dalloway."

"You're a jerk, you know that, McClain? In any case, I wanted to know if you knew of a good bar around here. I wanted to take a friend out tonight. It's not Lisa, so no romantics or anything like that. What's a good place?"

"Hmm." Lance closed his eyes and tried to think. "Whenever I'd visit Arus while Wade was in control of the Alliance, Allura would take me to this joint called the Heaven Bar. The drinks there are pretty good, and if you make small talk with the bartender, he makes 'em extra strong at no extra charge. I'd say that's the place to go."

"Thanks, man. You're awesome." Aidan winked. "Now, make sure you treat my other girlfriend right, you hear?"

"Uh..." Lance's mouth hung open as he watched Aidan disappear down the hallway. "What's this about his other girlfriend? Did I miss something?"

Ginger shook her head, smiling the whole time.

* * *

Sven had tried and tried and tried to reach Pollux. He was trying to be the dutiful husband, wanting to tell Romelle that he was safe and that they had rescued Christiane. No one had picked up, and he was beginning to get worried. And angry.

The blank screen after every call he'd attempted to place made him feel as though he should take Commander Hawkins up on his offer. The man - _Lenora's husband, _he reminded himself bitterly - had offered to bring him back to the Garrison and New York as a thank-you for rescuing an Albegas crew member. It sounded like a reward he'd be a fool to pass up.

Sven was proud of himself for not wrapping his hands around the commander's throat. When he thought about what that man was doing in bed to his _elskede_, it filled him with a fury that could barely be contained. He was grateful that the anti-Haggarium injections concocted by Pidge and Vince were successful, at least to a degree; otherwise Hawkins would have been dead by now. But now, with no one answering on his quote-unquote home planet, he felt as though he should definitely travel back to New York.

If he saw Lenora and spent some time with her, he might be able to convince her to leave her husband. That would serve Romelle right for not picking up his transmission.

Frustrated, he pounded his fists on the control panel.

"Whoa! Easy there, Viking."

Sven turned his head towards the familiar voice. He wanted to be alone with this man almost as much as he wanted to be alone with Commander Hawkins. "What do you _want_, Aidan Dalloway? Why won't you leave me alone?"

Aidan grinned at him, his sapphire eyes practically dancing. "Hey, I know you're not much for extraneous conversation, so I'll get right to the point. I wanted to invite you out for a night of drinks and scintillating conversation with yours truly. Lance recommended this place called Heaven Bar. What do you say?"

The Norwegian narrowed his eyes. "Oh, really? You've never liked me, Dalloway. In fact, you've always held a grudge because Lenora chose me over you. So why would you want to talk to me _now_? And what would make you think that I'd want to talk to _you_?"

"Oh, you might find what I have to say fascinating." Aidan's eyes darkened. "Stop being so stubborn, Holgersson. Let's go out for a drink tonight. Man to man - er, Viking to man, if you prefer. Regardless, let's go out and see where the night takes us."

"_Herregud_, Aidan. I'll go with you, but if anyone asks if we're together, I'll kill you."

He laughed in response. "Then we'll leave at 2100 hours. Be ready."

Once Aidan left Castle Control, Sven turned back to the main screen and attempted to contact Pollux once more. When he still received nothing but a blank screen, he stood up and stormed out of the room. He might as well go out for those drinks with Aidan tonight, and he might as well head back to New York with Commander Hawkins and the rest of the Voltron Vehicle Team. He had nothing left to lose.


	22. White Flag

_Author's Note__: This chapter is kind of long for only one topic, but I felt it was important. I actually started to cry a little when I wrote the dialogue between Morgan and Allura. Thanks again for reading and keeping up with these characters of mine. As always, they're the only things I own._

_To Emie Mac - We're gettin' a wedding! Whoohoo!_

_To Sally On - There may not be much of a catfight in Allura's quarters, but Keith had better watch himself and try to do right by the princess._

_**Title Song: "White Flag" by Dido**_

* * *

As she daintily bit into a cucumber-and-cream-cheese tea sandwich, Allura couldn't help but wish that it was Lenora herself across the table from her and _not _Lenora's best friend, Morgan. At least she knew that the Space Marshal had never dated Keith.

Then again, there might be something useful in that knowledge.

Morgan hadn't eaten anything - not a tea sandwich, not a petit four, not a scone, nothing. She simply held the cup of tea in her hands, no cream or sugar, and took an occasional sip. Mostly she stared at the princess intensely with those violet eyes.

"Are you watching your weight, Mrs. Rackens?" Allura cracked unkindly. "I noticed you haven't eaten anything."

If the woman was shocked by the catty comment, she didn't show it. "It's too pretty to eat," she replied cautiously. "It reminds me of the last time I saw David's parents. They live just outside of London, and the last time we visited them, his mother insisted on taking me to high tea at the Four Seasons Hotel." She paused to take a sip of the tea. "It looked something like this. It was beautiful."

"Oh." Allura looked down at the spread of scones, jams, and clotted creams. "This _is _a nice spread. Nanny, Drea and Sofia do a wonderful job." She shrugged. "Though Nanny doesn't do as much anymore. All she wants to do is look after everyone's babies. Sven's and Romelle's son Erik in particular."

A look of sadness fleetingly passed over Morgan's face. "Allura, I know you think I wanted to talk to you about Keith - and we still can, if you wish - but I really came here to discuss Sven. He's a good friend of mine, at least he used to be, and I've been trying to figure out what in seven hells happened to him after he got here."

Allura nodded, momentarily distracted by the fact that she was talking with the woman Keith used to love. "Earlier, I gathered that you and Sven had been close. It's the navigator issue, correct?"

"Correct. But it's not only that. We both loved Len, and apparently, we both still do. So what I'm trying to understand is, what happened in the last ten years that made him marry this Romelle chick and have a baby?"

Trying to keep the smile off her face, Allura responded, "This 'Romelle chick' you're referring to is my cousin."

Morgan blushed. "Seven _hells_. Open mouth, insert foot."

At that, Allura _did _laugh. She was finding it increasingly difficult to dislike Morgan, despite the fact that she'd spent several years dating Keith. The princess could see why her boyfriend had been drawn to this woman, and how she would have been good for him.

"Well, at least I'm glad you're laughing and not yelling at me," Morgan admitted sheepishly, hiding her face behind her delicate teacup. "Though you have to admit, you can see why I'd rather side with Len and not Romelle, right?"

"I do. In fact, some days I miss Lenora so much, I feel like I should just pop on over to the Garrison and barge into her office. Just to say hello."

"She'd like that, you know." Morgan finally picked up a biscuit and broke it in half. She spread each half with clotted cream and topped it with a dollop of strawberry preserves. "She misses you, and she especially misses your niece Larmina. She told me that she had a wonderful time here on Arus, and I can honestly say I'm starting to see why."

Allura picked up the tray with tea sandwiches and held it out towards Morgan, who inclined her head slightly and took one, placing it down on her plate. "I miss her too. All the time." She placed the tray back down on the table. "Now, concerning Sven, do you know anything about his injuries from Haggar's cat and robeast?"

"Of course. We heard about how he had to rescue Lance from the witch - that was how he got in trouble to begin with." Her expression momentarily darkened. "That blasted McClain. You know, he and Sven were roommates at the Academy. It didn't surprise any of us that he would go after Lance to rescue him." She took a bite of her biscuit. "Lance is quite the instigator. Always has been, always will be."

The princess looked down at her fingernails, avoiding Morgan's gaze and the pain it held as she replied. "Sven never held a grudge. He never once blamed Lance for his foolishness - though looking back on it now, that's what it was - and moved beyond the event quite well. Mentally, anyway. Physically, not so much."

Morgan nodded. "His injuries were unbelievably extensive. In a way, it's good that it was Sven and not anyone else on the Voltron Force. He had always been the toughest out of those five, and if any one of them could survive an attack that bad, it would be him." She took a sip of her tea, trying unsuccessfully to hide her tears. "You have no idea what that was like, though. When we found out about his injury, and how you sent him to Ebb to heal...my God." Her lips thinned into a straight line. "Oh, my God."

"It was difficult, Morgan, I won't lie." Allura swallowed. "We had no other choice but to send him to Ebb. At the time, Arus didn't have the medical technology, and he surely would have died if we kept him here."

"No. We're not blaming you. God, I wish I had some vodka instead of tea right now." Morgan smiled through the agony as she recalled those first few months after graduation. "There were four of us from our family - and when I say _family_, I should really clarify for you and say our _floor_ - left at the Garrison. It was me, Len, Aidan, and Kelly Asimov. Our other ten floormates had been dispatched to either Arus or the Explorer." She closed her eyes, unable to look at the princess as she relived the events in her mind. "In case you didn't know, Len graduated as a Technical Sargeant, much like Pidge and his twin brother Chip, but she was immediately employed by Space Marshal Graham as a Lieutenant. He was quite fond of her, and she was his favorite new _acquisition_, for lack of a better term. She was with Graham when the report came in from Arus that Sven had been grievously injured. To state the obvious, it didn't go over well."

Allura shook her head. "No, I can't imagine it would have."

Morgan wiped her eyes. "Blast it, I've been doing too much crying here."

"It's all right."

"Once the news came in, the three of us took turns on suicide watch, because we were terrified that Len would try to kill herself. We begged Graham and the High Council to let her go to Ebb to see him. It took a few days, but they finally relented, with the condition that she return within ten days."

"But Sven was in a coma for over a month."

"I know." Morgan drew a deep breath, her eyes bloodshot. "I went with her. Graham figured that since I was Len's best friend as well as Sven's fellow classmate and navigator, I should go as well. At first, the Ebbian healers wanted no part of us - they said Sven's condition was too dire. But she pleaded with them, telling them that she was Sven's fiancée and that she needed to be with him."

"Knowing Len, she would."

"They finally relented - they thought it might help his healing process when they learned about the engagement. She didn't leave his side for the entire time we were there. The Ebbians weren't bad, though. They looked after her too, insisting that she eat and rest. She slept in the bed next to him the entire time, weaving her hand through the stabilization cages to touch his broken body. It was the saddest, most miserable thing I have ever witnessed in my entire life." She swallowed down her tears. "How could I be sad about the end of my relationship with Keith after I saw _that_? She loved him so much. When he hadn't woken up after ten days, she looked as though I might as well bury her next to him."

Allura discreetly wiped a tear away. Having seen Sven and Lenora together at the ball, she could understand. "That must have been difficult for you, as well."

"It was. It was the most difficult thing I have ever been through. Between seeing my friend Sven like that, so injured, and Lenora so gutted...I have never hurt or grieved so much in my entire life as I did then. When we left Ebb and headed back to Earth, she might as well have been dead, too. The only thing that kept her going was her honor and her sense of duty. She returned to her role as Lieutenant, even if she hated the fact that Graham only gave her ten days on Ebb."

There was silence for a moment. Allura sipped her tea, too disturbed to even think about the beautiful high tea spread in front of her. "So you want to know what happened that all of that love between them went awry."

"Yes." Morgan didn't mince words.

"Well, when Sven finally awoke from his coma, he needed to undergo intense therapy and rehabilitation on Ebb. He had been hurt so badly that he couldn't just pick up where he had left off. He was in the process of regaining his strength when Doom's fleet, led by King Zarkon, attacked Ebb. They took all of the patients who were well enough as slaves, and those who weren't were executed." In a decidedly un-princesslike fashion, Allura slammed her fist on the table, rattling their liquid-filled teacups without spilling a drop. "It was then that they took him as a slave. So twice Sven had to endure their cruelties as a slave on Doom."

"It's not fair." Morgan buried her face in her hands in an attempt to stave off more tears. "Why _him_, of all people? Sven's a good man. What did he ever do to deserve _that_?"

"I don't know. However, that happened around the same time Lotor captured my cousin Romelle and kept her as his pleasure slave, as well." Allura shuddered to think about the horrors that Romelle had endured during her abduction, especially rape. "Finally, he threw her into the Pit of Skulls with the intent of killing her. When he asked his soldiers to retrieve her dead body, they found that she hadn't been killed - she had been rescued by an underground 'wild man' who was more than willing to fight against the forces of Doom. That 'wild man' was Sven."

"Leave it to the Viking to beat the odds," Morgan grinned.

"That was when he rejoined the fight with us. He and Romelle led quite a few missions on Doom; mostly reconnaissance, but sometimes rebellion. Sometimes the two causes were joined." She grinned. "In any case, during our final victory, it was Sven who took down Lotor from the main tower. They fell from the tower and landed in the moat. From there, Lotor retreated to his private residence on Doom, where Voltron followed him and finished him off. Romelle and her team pulled Sven from the moat and returned to Pollux together so Bandor could laud them as heroes."

"This is where the story begins to come together." Morgan sighed, then took another bite of her biscuit. "Wow, this clotted cream is like _silk_."

"Mmm-hmm."

"I'm not sure what the heck happened on Pollux, but as Voltron had its victory over Doom, Space Marshal Graham was retiring," Morgan continued. "He had chosen Lenora to succeed him, but because she was so young, he decided to have a transitional Space Marshal for a period of three to six months to oversee her work. Unfortunately, he chose Wade. Right from the start, we knew he was no good. We _knew _it." Her violet eyes narrowed in anger. "The night the Alliance hosted the Lion Voltron Force, we all watched from a distance as the lions went crazy. And then we heard about Wade's takeover of the Garrison - how he fired the members of the High Council, ousted Len from her position, and recalled the Vehicle Voltron Force back to New York."

"Those were bad times for all of us."

"Definitely. For some reason, once he recalled Voltron and the Explorer, Wade decided _not _to fire Commander Hawkins, instead promoting him to second-in-command, just under Wade himself." Morgan shrugged. "No one knows why. However, we _do _know that Wade had read Len's classified file and wanted her gone. Dead or in the Void, it didn't matter as long as she was gone." A wild grin suddenly flared out on her face. "Little did he know, Jon had been harboring a crush on my girl Len since the moment he met her - you can ask the Vehicle Team and the Explorer's bridge crew about _that_ - and he was hardly about to let anything bad happen to her. He hid her out for four years."

"At the same time, Keith was performing his covert operations to get Black Lion back," Allura concluded. "Which makes sense. From what I learned from my cousins, after the lions went crazy, Sven went back to the Garrison. The news about the lions being impounded hadn't yet traveled to Pollux, so Romelle simply thought that he was going to Earth to celebrate, maybe meet up with us. None of them ever would have thought..."

"...that he was going back for Len." Morgan nodded. "All of the pieces fit. Sven went back to Earth to find Len, and she was already gone. We were _all _gone because Jon told us to make ourselves scarce, otherwise we'd be hauled in for questioning. So Sven must have figured that she was gone, or dead, or whatever rumors he'd heard, and headed back to Pollux."

"Then he married Romelle."

"Exactly. Knowing Sven the way I do, he must have figured that if he couldn't have Len, he'd have the next best thing." She shrugged. "Let's face it, he could have done a lot worse than a princess."

"I know." Allura exhaled. "But I get it. Romelle's wonderful, but she's not Lenora. All he's ever wanted was Lenora."

"She wanted _Sven_. But when we saw her again for the first time after being in hiding for four years, she was wearing that massive diamond that Jon put on her finger. She talks about her relationship with her husband sometimes, but not much. She's told me that their marriage is sacred." Morgan shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, Allura. I love Jon. He's wonderful, and I swear to you that he and David are like brothers. I think of him as my brother, too. But sometimes I worry that she married him solely as a way to get over Sven. And then, when you guys told us for the first time that Sven was married and had a child, it all made sense as to why she came back from Arus and moved the wedding date up."

There was silence between them for a long time. Allura thought about Sven in a coma on Ebb, surrounded by stabilization cages to hold his body together. She pictured Lenora laying in bed next to him, reaching her hand through the metal framework to touch him. The image broke her heart. "Does Sven know that you two went to Ebb?"

"No. And it should probably stay that way - it wouldn't do anyone any good." She shook her head. "Allura, did you want to talk about Keith, or have I depressed you enough?"

The princess let out a long sigh, then reached towards the tray of petit fours for her favorite flavor. "Mmm, almond cake with vanilla buttercream. Please have one, Morgan. It's my favorite."

"Will do." She reached for one and bit it in half, smiling. "I have to say, I'm glad you're referring to me as _Morgan _and not _Mrs. Rackens _anymore. Any time I hear that name, I think of my mother-in-law."

"I must apologize for my pettiness. I was worried that maybe you'd try to steal Keith back."

Morgan shook her head. "My dear, I spent five years of my life in and out of a relationship with Keith Kogane. The first thing I have to do is apologize for his 'one that got away' comment. Really, he _never _should have said that in front of you." She sighed. "I feel like I'll be spending the rest of my life cleaning up after that man's messes, and we've been broken up twice as long as we were together."

The princess snorted with laughter. It was true, and as much as she loved Keith, even she had to admit that he'd really messed everything up since Bandor's wedding. "I suppose that he had too many women who meant too many things to him come into his life at once, and he just didn't know how to handle it."

"It's not just that. He's emotionally stunted from his parents' deaths when he was twelve years old. He never really recovered from it. Christiane was eight, so she took it a little better because she didn't understand as much. But Keith...let's just say it left him unable to trust in love for a long, long time. And because he couldn't trust, he wouldn't allow anyone in." She looked down at the table. "Like me."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Morgan shook her head. "I learned a lot about Keith in five years, and I'm okay with how everything turned out. And really, he seems to have let you in better than anyone else." She didn't say it maliciously, only matter-of-factly. "That's good," she continued softly. "It means that he's coming around. And if he's let you in, maybe he can let Christiane in, as well."

"And you too."

She shook her head. "He doesn't need to let me in anymore, Allura. I think that door's been permanently shut." She thought back to Senior Night, when Keith had told her that he would always love her. She thought back to his words from earlier, when he told her they would have been married right now had it not been for the mission to Arus. Although the thought made her sad, it also made her think about how important David was to her. "I love my husband. I swear to God I do."

"I would hope so," Allura teased.

Thinking of her husband's smile and beautiful grey eyes, Morgan couldn't help but feel grateful that everything turned out the way it had. Yes, a part of her loved Keith and would always love Keith, but the bigger part of her was grateful that she was able to go home to David at the end of the day. He was her rock and the other half of her heart. Perhaps this whole ordeal had occurred for a reason. Maybe there was more to it than just getting Christiane back.

_Everything happens for a reason._

"A toast," Allura said suddenly, holding out her teacup. "Here's to us. To new friendships, new alliances, and maybe knocking some sense into Captain Kogane's thick skull."

"I'll second that." Morgan clinked her teacup against Allura's.

It appeared to be an odd scene, Keith's former and current lovers sitting together and enjoying each other's company. Yet the princess felt strangely comfortable, feeling as though the white flag had been raised between them. There was no need to carry on the feelings of hostility and insecurity. Morgan was only trying to help.

But Keith, on the other hand, would not be getting away with his actions so easily.


	23. Set Down Your Glass

_Author's Note__: Thanks again to all of my readers, and especially to those of you who have contacted me to tell me how much you love my non-canon characters. It's because of you guys that I keep writing._

_To Cha - I am so glad you like Morgan. She's a special character._

_To Emie Mac - There will be an interesting bachelor party down the road. Let's just say "Poor Rackens" now and get it over with..._

_To Smithy - It's a good thing that Morgan is over Keith, 'cuz she's married to David! But it's interesting that you bring up Hunk and Shannon; there's more on the way for both of them._

_To Sally On - The two of us are going to London to do high tea at the Ritz. You in? ;)_

_To FroofyB - Keith SO has groveling to do. And it's coming, too. Our favorite princess doesn't let __anyone__ walk over her!_

_To bknbu - Girl, it's good to have you back! I hope things are coming along smoothly with the move. As far as Sven being ticked off...oh boy, wait'll you see what he does next..._

_To Wade Wells - I missed you, Lovey! Wait 'til you get a load of the next few chapters._

_**Title Song: "Set Down Your Glass" by Snow Patrol (this song is absolutely beautiful, and I suggest you all listen to it - this is the reason I love YouTube)**_

* * *

Allura was hardly hungry for dinner, not after that enlightening high tea and conversation she had with Morgan, but she could hardly blame Nanny for making sure it was put out on time. Though she learned later that Lance and Ginger had retired to Lance's quarters for the evening, she hated to admit that she hardly missed them. There were so many people at dinner, she could scarcely remember their names.

The Voltron Vehicle Team. The Albegas crew. The Explorer bridge crew. The Lion Voltron Force. They were all there. Again, minus Lance and Ginger, but they were otherwise all there.

They might not have been missed by Allura, but Shannon noticed.

The princess took her seat next to Keith, looking around the dining room at her teammates, new friends and new acquaintances. Pidge and Chip were seated next to each other, as were Hunk and Cinda. Aidan sat with Lisa on one side and Sven on the other. Cliff sat next to Sven, with Jeff and Christiane on the other side of him. Morgan sat between David and Jon, and Allura was surprised to see her niece seated next to the commander.

Nanny and Coran oversaw the event. For some reason, it made them smile. It reminded Coran of days long ago, when King Alfor would host dinner parties for friends and the heads of neighboring planets. It was about time that Arus started hosting dinner parties again. The ball for the Space Marshal had been a good start, but dinner parties were where all of the most important decisions were made, and where all of the most important alliances were forged.

He could see plenty of lifelong alliances being forged at this dinner table.

Nanny oversaw the kitchen events - she was too old now to be serving the enormous platters of food - and left Drea and Sofia to handle the heavy work. Graff, the senior member of the kitchen staff, played head sommelier as he selected the Arusian wines to pair with the evening's meal. With watchful eyes, she supervised Graff's pours, making sure that her darling Allura had been served first, and that Larmina didn't swipe any. The Lady of Arus was still underage.

Before the first course was served, Allura stood. As the planet's reigning monarch as well as the hostess, she was seated at the head of the huge table, and she lifted her glass of white wine. "A toast," she announced regally. All those present stood and followed suit, lifting their wineglasses or, in the case of the cadets, water goblets. "To our victory today. To alliances, old and new. To family, friends, and love. Cheers."

"Cheers!" The term was tossed around the room by nearly everyone in attendance, and more than a few wineglasses were clinked together. As everyone sat back down, Keith squeezed his girlfriend's shoulder. "That was very nice," he offered.

Briefly, she nodded back at him. She still hadn't decided what to do about him, though she sure as seven hells was not about to let him off the hook.

As Sofia brought out the first course, a seafood bisque made undoubtedly from the same whitefish that was in Lance's and Ginger's meal, Jeff inhaled nervously and stood up. His speech was impromptu, and certainly not as pretty or formal as Allura's, but he felt it was important nonetheless. "So I'm not going to repeat Princess Allura's sentiments, although I certainly share them," he stammered, his eyes darting around the room at his friends and teammates. "And because I share the sentiments, especially the _love_ part, I wanted to announce that Christiane has agreed to become my wife."

The Vehicle Team broke out in cheers and applause, as did Taye and Aidan. Carefully, Lisa slid her hand underneath the table and along Aidan's thigh. The Albegas captain lowered his arm and gripped her hand in support. Sure, she loved _him _now and not Jeff, but having watched his old girlfriend marry someone else, Aidan knew that what she was feeling was excruciatingly painful.

Morgan and David jumped to their feet and embraced her newly-engaged friends. "Oh my God, Amigo!" she squealed, her eyes brimming with happy tears. "You're getting _married_!" She wrapped a free arm around Christiane and kissed the side of her face. "My babies are getting _married_!"

"Does this mean I'm going to be down a couple of roommates?" David teased with a huge smile on his face. He lifted Christiane in a hug and kissed her hard on both cheeks. "Congratulations, Love. And congratulations, Jeffrey. Seven _hells_, it's about time." He shook Jeff's hand and drew him in for a patented guy hug. "So when can we expect this wedding?"

"No wedding." Christiane shook her head adamantly. "We'll just go to City Hall once we dock back in New York and do it there. No frills, no expenses."

"Besides, it's not like we have a lot of money saved up." Jeff shrugged uncomfortably. "We'll need a place to live, and that's where the money should go. As much as I love you, Morganza, we can't live in your house forever, especially not once we're married."

"Sad but true, Amigo." She sighed.

Jon stood up and hugged Christiane. "Welcome to the club, Chris," he laughed. "You're now officially inducted with David and me - married into one big, crazy family. Or at least, you will be soon." Then he set his sights on Jeff. "But if you think you're getting away without a wedding, Captain Aki, you'd better think again. You'll just have to man up like the rest of us."

Jeff laughed nervously, placing his hand on the back of his head. "Well, Sir, like I said before, we just don't have the money. Unless you can think of a place to hold a wedding that won't cost us any money, it's City Hall or bust."

The commander shot him a pointed look. "I believe I know of a place on Fifth Avenue that would accommodate a wedding reception at that price point, Jeff."

"Sir, _no_. I cannot accept -"

"You can and you will. Besides, if you think for one moment that I'm the only man who should have to go through with it - _or _that Morgan and Lenora will allow you to get married without a reception - then you've got another thing coming."

"With all due respect, Commander, I hate you right now."

"Good. Morgan?" Jon asked, and she came right to his side. "Do you think you and my wife are up for the challenge of planning a wedding reception for Jeff and Christiane?"

Morgan smirked. "Free rein in a triplex on Fifth Ave, Jonny? _Seriously? _I accept the challenge. I'm sure that Len will accept, too."

"Seven hells." David dropped his head back and laughed. "You're really in for it now, Jeffrey."

"Good. Then it's settled." Jon patted Jeff on the shoulder. "I suppose I should contact Mrs. Hawkins and let her know that her home is about to become a reception site." He glanced over at Christiane. "How do you feel about Per Se?"

Christiane grinned. "Jon, as long as I get an Opera Pastry from La Bergamote, I don't care about the rest of the food."

"Fantastic." Jon looked over towards Allura. "Princess Allura, would you mind if I contacted my wife in Castle Control?"

Allura smiled. "Of course not," she responded. Then, with a wink directed at her niece, she added, "You might as well take Larmina with you. Just in case you forgot how to get to Castle Control from here."

Larmina eyes glowed with excitement at the idea of speaking with Lenora. "I'll take the commander, no problem." She grabbed his arm. "Come with me, Sir."

"Thank you, Mina."

As the cadet escorted the commander out of the room, Aidan placed a hand on Sven's shoulder to keep him from combusting at Hawkins' references to his wife. "Dude, save it for later tonight," he hissed, and the Norwegian seemed to calm down. It was then that they noticed Keith standing up. He looked over at the newly engaged couple, and for a brief moment, Aidan thought he might have to defend his tech sargeant's honor.

Or Lisa's old boyfriend. He was prepared to do either.

Keith left Allura's side and made his way over to Jeff and Christiane. Morgan stood at the ready by her family. If she had to take Keith down, she was prepared to do it. She would not let him ruin their happiness.

His eyes ran over his sister, and then finally he turned to Jeff. His best friend, his Academy roommate, and now his sister's fiancé. "Aki," he said slowly, "I trusted you to watch over my sister in my absence."

"That's exactly what I did, Kogane," he answered simply. He was ready for the inquisition and punishment. And he was ready for Keith to break his jaw. He probably deserved it, and he knew Morgan would have his back and attack like a cornered pitbull, no question, if he did. "I never expected to fall in love with her in the process."

"That was what I was waiting to hear." Keith smiled at both of them benevolently. "Christy, you and I need to speak further. I think I'm ready to repair what's been broken. What _I've _broken. Other than that, I am so happy for you, and I don't think you could have picked a better man to spend the rest of your life with." He turned away from them for a moment, facing the rest of the teams with joy shining in his turquoise eyes. "Everyone, I'd like for you to raise a glass for my sister and my best friend. To their happiness always!"

As their friends and teammates cheered, Christiane embraced her brother. "Thank you, Akira-chan," she whispered shakily. "Thank you a thousand times over. I love Jeff just as much as he loves me, and I'm so grateful that you understand and that you're happy for us."

Placing a kiss on his sister's forehead, he whispered, "I am. I'm really happy for the both of you, Eiko-chan."

She knew undoubtedly that it was true.

With her arms around both her brother and her fiancé, and Morgan and David nearby, Christiane had never felt so settled or so complete in her entire life. Her family. _This _was her family; the family she had deserved and never gotten when she was a child. Well, she had it now. And as she gazed into Jeff's dark eyes, she knew she would have it for always.

She set down her glass to kiss the man she loved, ignoring the cheers and catcalls that erupted around them.

* * *

It had been a long, _long _time since he'd been to a bar. And he was quite sure that no Arusian bar had Ciroc vodka for his beloved vodka tonics, no matter how heavily it was endorsed by Lance.

Whatever he was wearing when he left Pollux was inexcusable for a night out. Sven had approached the royal tailor to see if there was anything on hand for him to wear. Acting as though he was going out in New York City, the Norwegian had chosen a pair of dark denim jeans, along with a blue-and-white pinstriped button-down shirt and black leather shoes. As he looked at himself in the tailor's full-length mirror, he almost recognized himself. He was tempted to shave his beard off, but he finally decided to keep it, thinking that it was a reminder of what he had been through since graduation.

He was glad to see that Aidan hadn't dressed much differently. The Albegas captain was dressed in dark denim as well, with a black button-down shirt and matching leather loafers. "Wow, Viking. You look nice. I feel like I should've brought you flowers or something."

"Shut up, Dalloway."

"You ready?"

He sighed. "As I'll ever be."

"Awesome. Let's go."

One of the reasons Lance had suggested Heaven Bar was because it was within walking distance of the castle. They made their way to the bar without small talk or other idle chit-chat, saving it for once they had a few drinks down their throats. Sven grinned in the irony of the the fact that the bar was named _Heaven_. He remembered how he, Jeff, and Keith had celebrated Morgan's twenty-first birthday at Cielo in New York. _Cielo _meant "heaven" in Spanish. At the time, Aidan hadn't been old enough to come out with them.

How times had changed.

The bar itself was nice, with a sophisticated lounge-like atmosphere and a clientele that consisted of more than the average just-of-age Arusian kid. Taking charge, Aidan chose a spot at a red velvet banquette and sat down, sprawling himself out to claim the four-seat spot. "Dude, they never give enough room at these tables," he grumbled unapologetically.

Sven couldn't say he disagreed.

They sat there at the banquette, looking through the menu, until the waitress came over to take their order. As she did, she looked up from the table and stared at Sven, a look of recognition in her eyes. "Excuse me - you're Sven Holgersson, right? Of the Voltron Force?"

He shuddered warily. "Yes."

"Oh my God." The young waitress looked around for someone. Or something, they couldn't be sure. "Uh...wait right here. I'll be right back." She scampered off without taking their drink order.

Aidan shot Sven a look. "Well, _that _was weird."

The Norwegian shrugged. "Yeah, tell me about it. I'm famous for being the injured member of the Voltron Force. The Arusians will never let me forget it." He was slightly annoyed, but he realized that he wasn't really upset with the Arusians. It was the _Polluxians _who really never let him forget about his imperfections. His _wife's _people.

God, he missed his _elskede_.

"Dude, look at the menu." Aidan grinned as he slid a drink menu over to Sven. "The house drink is called the 'Blue Lion.' That was your lion, right?"

"_Was." _He looked uncomfortable.

"Hey, I'm not suggesting you order it. Sounds kinda frilly." The Albegas captain scanned the menu for the equivalent of his beloved Johnny Walker. "Is there a man's drink anywhere on this menu? I should've known that McClain would send us to a place with girlie drinks just out of spite."

Sven laughed. "That sounds like something he would do."

Their waitress finally returned, dragging a man with her. He was roughly five or six years older than they were, and impeccably dressed. "Sven Holgersson?" he asked, staring at Sven in awe. "It is an honor to have one of the Voltron Force here tonight. I'd like to start you and your friend off with a complimentary 'Blue Lion' house cocktail, if that's all right with you."

Sven was too busy staring at the man's face to answer. He was handsome by anyone's standards, with hazel eyes and long, rich brown hair. But his good looks were marred by a long scar underneath his left eye, running almost down to his lip. "That sounds wonderful, thank you," he responded finally.

"Please. It is my privilege." He shook Sven's hand. "Brent Halix, owner and bartender."

"Well, you know who I am. This is Aidan Dalloway, a former classmate of mine."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Halix." Aidan broke out his usual Dalloway charm, complete with a grin and a dimple. "Thank you for the drink." Even Aidan knew it was better to have a free frilly fruit drink than to have to pay for it.

When Brent excused himself to personally mix their drinks, Aidan smiled. "Dude, not a word of this to anyone. _No one _is to know we were here drinking frilly drinks. Got it? I have a reputation to maintain."

"You and me both."

Brent returned a moment later with two large hurricane glasses, each filled with a small amount of ice and a lot of potent blue liquid, garnished with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry. "Thank you again," Sven offered, picking up his fruity drink and clinking his glass with Aidan's. "Cheers, Dalloway."

"Dude, I feel like such a tool right now, with a cherry on top," Aidan cracked up. He took a sip and raised an eyebrow. "Hey. This is pretty potent. A couple of these could get a guy really messed up."

"Well, that's what Blue Lion does, Tool." He sipped the pretty blue drink. "Hmm. Girlie _and _potent. This could be dangerous." He placed his glass back down on the table. "So what did you drag me out here to talk about?"

Aidan took a long sip of his Blue Lion drink and set down his glass on the table. "Sven, how are you doing about the whole Lenora thing? How did you get over her?"

Sven's slate-blue eyes grew wide, and his face paled slightly. "How did I get over Lenora?" he repeated quietly, rolling the words over his tongue as though it was a foreign concept. "How did I get over her?"

"Yeah. Did the wife and kid thing help?"

"How did I get over Lenora?" he repeated. "Dalloway, I'm _not _over Lenora. I'm not. It doesn't matter that I'm married. It doesn't matter that I have a child. I'm not over her, and I probably never will be. And it's taking everything in me not to punch Hawkins in the face whenever I see him."

The Albegas captain sighed. "Seven _hells_. Then there's no hope for me."

Sven's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Aidan leaned back in the red-velvet banquette. "Lenora is _my _ex-girlfriend, too."

* * *

_Lenora knew it would be any day for her mother. Angelie Nabors-Stensson had fought the good fight, bravely waging a war against her stage-four colon cancer with a variety of treatments and medical interventions. This time, though, when her mother was admitted to Lenox Hill Hospital, she knew they were at the end of the road._

_It might have been easier if Sven was there. In fact, it definitely would have been easier. The only reason Angelie had lasted as long as she had was because her daughter was still unmarried. And with no father, no siblings, and no cousins, she was alone in the world. Yes, she had her friends - Lenora had tried to convince her time and time again that she considered her Space Academy friends to be her family - but Angelie refused to accept the idea that her daughter wouldn't be alone. They were merely friends; not a family born of blood or created from marriage vows._

"_Not all families are made that way, Mom," she'd tried to tell her, but the woman never listened._

_Now Lenora sat by her mother's bedside as the machines beeped. She shuddered every time she heard a beep - it meant that more morphine was being administered. And she knew what that meant: the end was near, and the morphine was not only keeping her mother comfortable, it would also depress her breathing until it stopped._

_She had been asleep for hours, and Lenora had been holding her hand, rubbing her thumb back and forth over her mother's skeletal hand until she feared she would rub the skin raw. Watching her mother suffer so much was just as painful as seeing Sven's broken body on Ebb. She wondered if it was wrong to pray for an easy, painless passing instead of a prolonged life for her mother. There were truly some fates that were worse than death._

_Angelie's eyes fluttered open, and Lenora held her breath, gripping her mother's hand in a way that wouldn't hurt her. "Mom? How are you feeling?" she asked, holding in the tears that wanted so badly to drain out. As she stared at her black nail polish, she wished she was wearing her black lipstick, too. It matched the well of sorrow she'd become._

"_My...little...girl," her mother sputtered, clenching her hand as best she could around her daughter's. "I...love you."_

"_Oh, Mom, I love you too. Shh. You should be resting."_

_Angelie shook her head ever so slightly. "I wanted to...say something...to you."_

"_Go ahead, Mom."_

"_Sven." Her eyes rolled around, coming to focus on Lenora. "He was...the best man...you'll ever find. I'm...only sorry...I won't live...long enough to...see you...marry him."_

_She swallowed hard, choking on the sob that she knew was coming. She had to be strong for her mother. She didn't want her mother to see her crying. It was too much - she'd lost her father and her fiancé, and now she was about to lose her mother. How much more was life going to take from her?_

"_Trust me, Mom, when he comes home, I'm going to marry him. I promise." She didn't say __if__, even though that word would have been more accurate._

"_Even though I...won't...be here?"_

_She was torn. She didn't want to think about her mother not being there, but then again, she didn't want to pretend that her mother was going to live a long and healthy life. "Mom, I promise you, whenever he comes home, I'm going to marry him."_

_Angelie nodded. "Good. I love...you."_

"_I love you too, Mom. I love you more than anything."_

_Angelie would never speak again. She slipped into a coma later that evening, and within two days, she was gone. Lenora never got over the fact that their last conversation was about Sven, and how sad her mother was that they had never gotten married._


	24. Yellow

_Author's Note:__ Why can't Hunk be a romantic hero? Lance, Keith and Sven shouldn't have all the fun. (PS: I have romantic plans for Pidge, but they aren't in this book.)_

_I must give thanks to Angeline Winery for creating the pinot noir I drank while writing the Sven/Aidan scene. Wow, did I need it!_

_To Sally On - I knew it was you all along! And wouldn't it figure that Lance would send the boys somewhere with girlie drinks? Must be jealous._

_To Emie Mac - I love it when Hawkins steps up to the plate. See? He knew we wanted a wedding and he got it for us. Gotta love the man._

_To bknbu - I wrote the Len/Angelie scene a couple of months back on the anniversary of my grandfather's death. Between him being gone and my father-in-law having recently passed away, it just came pouring out. And get that Shannon story out there! I love Vehicle Voltron fics._

_**Title Song: "Yellow" by Coldplay**_

* * *

After dinner, Hunk went down to the hangar, where Yellow Lion needed to be checked after spending so much time in sub-zero conditions. He was reeling from the events that had occurred over the last couple of days, and he needed to spend some time alone to clear his head. There was no better place to do that than in the presence of Yellow.

He was confused. That was the only way he could describe it. Well, maybe stunned and confused. It was good to see Chip again, and of course it was great to see Rocky, too. He had missed his old friends.

Cinda was quite another matter.

Back in the day, he and Cinda had been inseparable. They had both specialized in engineering at the Academy, and back in those days, they had been the engineering duo to beat. _Hunk-and-Cinda_. He had even escorted her to the dance on Senior Night, and she looked beautiful in that short, strapless ice-blue dress she wore.

_Wow. If I can remember what she wore on Senior Night, I must've liked her more than I thought._

Cinda was not from Earth. She, much like Crik, was from the water planet Mira, which meant that her skin was blue and she had a body made for swimming. And, for that matter, showing off a bathing suit. Back at the Academy, he vaguely appreciated her figure. Now, though, she looked better than he remembered, and it was bothering him that she hadn't said much to him.

_Maybe she didn't like me as anything better than her engineering study buddy._

He exhaled, looking over his Lion. Yellow and Red Lions were the least suited for Crydor, and it showed. He would have to get to work. In a way, he was glad that Chip was there to keep Pidge preoccupied. Hunk wanted to get to work with only his thoughts to keep him company.

"Need a hand?"

Well, there went _that_. Looking up towards the door, he noticed Cinda leaning over the railing, gazing down at him. "Well? You need a hand, Tsuyo?"

He couldn't keep the grin off his face. "Nah, I don't _need_ a hand...but that doesn't mean I don't _want _a hand, Cin. Come on down."

With a sweet smile on her face, Cinda descended down the metal steps into the depths of the hangar. "Wow. Look at this!" she exclaimed, gazing up at Yellow Lion like a little kid on Christmas morning. That was the thing Hunk had loved the most about her; Cinda always seemed to be excited by the very same things that excited him. "My Rotating Personnel Carrier's got nothing on this!"

"Yeah, Yellow is pretty cool." He grinned at her stupidly. "Wanna check it out?"

"I'd _love _to."

Hunk held his breath as he helped Cinda into the cockpit_._ "Oh, this is amazing," she nearly purred, which he found apt for being inside a Lion. "These things are special. The parts that form Vehicle Voltron are mechanical, but these things...they're like _magic_."

"Yeah." He chuckled. "We figured out a while back that they're made of some kind of mystical memory metal. Cool, right?"

"Extremely." Stealthily, she placed a hand on his shoulder, and Hunk realized that maybe there still might be a spark or two left between them. In response, without looking at her, he placed one hand around her waist. "I missed you, Cin. I haven't had anybody awesome like you to do engineering with in a long time." He kept his eyes and his face straight ahead.

"I missed you too, Hunk." She laid her head against his shoulder.

It was a nice moment, and one that had been a long time coming. They remained in silence, just trying to enjoy themselves and make up for lost time before they were interrupted. Because they both knew they would be interrupted. Eventually.

* * *

The night sky was beginning to darken, which suited Shannon's mood perfectly. He sat out on the main balcony overlooking Lake Arus - being on the Sea Team, he felt a connection to the water. He was mad, both at the universe and at himself.

For as long as he could remember, he'd had a crush on Ginger. Sure, he hadn't always been nice to her, but wasn't that the way adolescent boys treated the girls they liked? Not that he was an adolescent, of course; he and David Rackens had been in the same class year, along with Wolo, Hutch, and Modoch, which put them all at thirty-four years old. He was too old to be acting like a boy.

They'd all been on the Voltron Force for ten years, minus the time they'd been grounded by Wade. He didn't know why he'd never acted on his crush, it wasn't like the entire team didn't know about it. Even Ginger herself eventually found out and occasionally used the information to her advantage.

_I called her __Cupcake_.

"Shannon? Are you all right?"

He had been sulking with his eyes fixed on the ground, and when he heard the voice, he looked up. Lisa. Of _course _it would be Lisa; she was the most sympathetic person on the team, as well as his teammate on the Sea Team. He didn't answer, he just stared at her with his forlorn eyes. She came over to him and sat down next to him. "You okay?"

"Where's Aidan tonight? I thought you'd be with your boyfriend."

One side of her mouth curled up into a smile. "He went out with Sven for a while," she answered. "I guess he wanted to talk to the Viking."

"About what?"

Lisa shook her head. "Commander Hawkins' wife, I assume."

"Huh. Well, _there's _a soap opera for you. Both of them pinin' away over a married woman. It's so silly when you consider that they both have significant others."

"Tell me about it." Lisa patted Shannon's back soothingly. "So, I take it you're out here to sulk about Ginger and Lance?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Is it that obvious, Lisa?" he asked in his thick brogue. "I wish I'd said something all those years ago. It could be me in bed with her right now instead of Lance McClain."

Thinking back to Senior Night, Lisa grinned. "I don't know about that, Shannon. She and Lance have had a..._relationship_...since they were sixteen. Half their lives, if you think about it."

"Yes, but she hadn't seen him in _how _many years?" Anger burned in the Irishman's dark eyes. "Come on, Lisa, I've spent much more time with Ginger than he has! And because I couldn't get up the nerve to tell her how I felt, I'm sitting here talking to you instead of spending time with her!"

Lisa sighed. "And my ex-boyfriend just announced tonight that he's getting married to a girl he's dated for less than a year. Imagine how that makes _me _feel. I dated Jeff for _how _many years?"

"Too many."

"And he never saw himself married to _me_."

Shannon shot her a miserable grin. "Well then, I guess I'm not the only one hurtin' out here on this balcony tonight." He wrapped an arm around her, and she placed her head comfortingly on his shoulder. They were two wounded souls sharing their sorrows together. "Just so you know, Lis, no matter what I might have said to you in the past, I'd bleed myself dry for you, girl. I hope that this Dalloway character knows how good he's got it with you."

She nodded into his shoulder in agreement.

* * *

Sven stared across the banquette at Aidan, wild-eyed and furious, even angrier than when he'd found out that his _elskede _had married Commander Hawkins. He thanked every available god for Pidge and Vince, who'd worked on the treatment for his Haggarium infection; otherwise the Albegas captain would have been dead ten seconds ago.

"Sven, say something."

"Before you continue, I need another drink."

Aidan's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But you've hardly touched your Blue Lion cocktail..." His voice trailed off as the Norwegian slugged back the rest of the girlie blue drink. "Uh, never mind." He lifted his arm and flagged the waitress down. "My friend here needs another drink."

"Certainly," she replied pleasantly. "Mr. Halix wanted me to let you to know that anything you want to drink is on the house, so please, don't be shy. Anything you would prefer?" She smiled politely at the former Blue Lion pilot.

"Vodka tonic, thank you. With the most potent vodka you have. And make it a double."

"Will do, Sir."

As Aidan opened his mouth to speak, Sven lifted his hand. "No. You will not say one more word until I have finished my second drink. Only when you see me start on my third drink can you open your mouth." He glared at the blond man. "You were right, Dalloway. I _am _going to find what you have to say fascinating."

Aidan attempted to defend himself, but the Norwegian cut him off again. "I mean it, Dalloway. Not one blasted word." He rolled his eyes. "Really. Telling me that you dated _my _fiancée? We were still engaged! You were really low enough to sleep with another man's woman?"

The Albegas captain narrowed his sapphire eyes, but said nothing. They sat there in silence, glaring across the table at each other, until the waitress returned with two vodka tonics. Sven knew that it was Arusian vodka and not Ciroc, but at the moment, he didn't particularly care. Immediately, he slugged one back, hardly tasting it. He set the empty glass back down on the table and picked up the second glass. Once he'd taken his first sip, he grumbled, "_Now _you may speak."

"Dude. You need to calm down." Aidan took a sip of his blue cocktail, forgetting how frilly and girlie it was. "You don't know anything. And you're so quick to claim Len as your fiancée, but you weren't there. You don't know the hells that poor girl went through without you. You have no idea of how much pain she suffered with you gone."

Sven took another swallow of his drink. By now, the first two drinks were beginning to hit him, and his limbs felt warm and a little numb. "Do you think I _wanted _to hurt her, Aidan? Do you think I _wanted _the pain and torture that befell me? If I had been able to contact her, I would have. If I had been able to let her know where I was, I would have. I loved her. I _still _love her!"

The blond man rubbed his eyes. "Oh, good God, Viking. I didn't actively pursue her. I knew she was engaged to you. I mean, gods, she wore your ring around her neck the entire time we dated." He took a long sip of his drink. "_She_ came on to _me_."

"I find that hard to believe." He knocked back a good amount of his vodka tonic.

"Yeah, maybe." He pursed his lips. "But you weren't there, you wouldn't know. You weren't there the night her mother died."

Sven gasped. He felt like Aidan had physically struck him across the face. _"What? _Angelie's _dead_?"

Aidan shrugged. "She died six years ago. Stage-four colon cancer."

"_Å, herregud."_

"Morgan and David had just gotten engaged. We were all at their engagement party - except Lenora, of course. She was at Lenox Hill with her mother." He paused, looking sad at the memory. "I guess she called David with the news that her mother had passed, and he came to find me. He told me not to tell anyone, and since I was the only one who could drive, I should pick her up from the hospital. He would've done it, but it would've looked suspicious if he'd left his own engagement party, and Len left specific instructions for him not to tell Morgan until after the party."

Sven shook his head, partially from shock, partially from sadness. He'd always liked Angelie - he couldn't believe that the woman was gone.

"I waited for her outside the hospital. It was so freakin' cold out, I'll never forget that. And she walked outside and she looked so lost and distraught - I'll never forget _that_, either. I couldn't help it, I hugged her and took her back to her studio in the Valley."

"The Valley?"

"Yeah. It's the term we use for the Garrison's just-off-campus housing for graduates." He took another long sip of his Blue Lion cocktail, nearly finishing it off. "So once we got there, she starting knocking back vodka shots. She was so sad and she needed to get drunk, so I did a couple with her. I also gave her one of my cornicellos - the silver one." He grinned. "She wore that cornicello with her mom's cross and your ring right up until she married Hawkins. I loved that about her. It was one of the many things I loved about her."

"If you don't stop telling me that you loved her, I'm going to break your face."

"Easy, Viking." He finished off his Blue Lion cocktail, and flagged the waitress over. "I'm looking for the equivalent of a good blended scotch," he told her. "Any suggestions?"

She smiled flirtatiously at him, batting her eyelashes as did. "I'll see what Mr. Halix can come up with. I'll be right back."

As she scurried over to the bar, Aidan shrugged. "It's the long blond hair. Chicks dig it."

"Oh? Is that how you got Lisa?"

"Hey, leave my girlfriend out of this." He glanced over at the waitress as she returned with a large flat-bottomed tumbler filled with thick amber liquid. "Thank you, Doll."

"You're welcome," she giggled.

Aidan took a swig of the scotch. "Hey, not bad."

Sven glared at him. "Could we get back to your story?"

"Geez, keep your hat on, Holgersson. In any case, after we'd downed a few shots of cheap vodka, she kissed me. _Hard_. I guess all her emotions came pouring out." He winked. "We ended up closing the deal in her bed. She told me afterward that it was the first time she'd slept with anyone since you."

The Norwegian clutched his glass, trying not to break it as he brought it to his lips. He hated how smug the blond man looked as he remembered his time as Lenora's boyfriend. "You'd better hope that I'm too drunk to beat you up when we leave, Dalloway, because I'd really like to do that right now."

"Now you know how I feel every time I look at Hawkins."

Huh? Now _this _was getting interesting. "He's another one I'd like to beat up."

"Not half as much as I would," Aidan scoffed, his sapphire eyes darkening. "He ruined everything between me and Len. I swear that he told her to break up with me when he put her into hiding. The guy freakin' had it in for me. And then, when Len finally came home, I was so excited to see her. I wanted to know if..." His voice trailed off.

Surprisingly, Sven found himself feeling bad for him. He understood where the guy was coming from. "You wanted to know what?"

Aidan toyed with his glass. "I wanted to know if she still had feelings for me, 'cuz God knows I still had feelings for _her_. It didn't matter how many girls I dated or closed the deal with while she was in hiding, I really only wanted her. I know this sounds terrible, but Lisa and I weren't serious then, and if Len had wanted me..." He shook his head without finishing the thought. "And then she came back to the Garrison as Space Marshal, wearing that huge frickin' rock that Hawkins put on her finger."

"So she broke up with you when she went into hiding, and was engaged to Hawkins when she came out of hiding." Sven hid a laugh. "I hate to say it serves you right, but it does."

"You know, I like _you _about as much as I like _him _right now."

"Well, what does it matter?" Sven finished his second vodka tonic and was sorely tempted tempted to order another. "Neither one of us is married to her."

"Yeah. Stinks to be us." Aidan made a face before he took another sip of his scotch. "That was why I wanted to talk - I was hoping you could tell me the magic trick for getting over her. But since you're not over her either, then this whole night has been a waste."

"Not necessarily. We got away from the castle and we got to drink. I suppose I'll order another."

"Oh, you're gonna be _so _hungover tomorrow."

Sven smirked. "You've got nothing to say, Dalloway. That Arusian scotch is even more potent than what they put in the Blue Lion drink."

"Then we'll both be hungover together." He sipped more of his scotch, feeling the liquid burn on the way down. He had a feeling that making it back to the castle was going to prove difficult..._and _interesting. "By the way, Viking, just out of curiosity: would you have left your wife for her?"

Sven hesitated before answering. "I almost did."

"Seven hells." Aidan took another sip of scotch, noting that he'd plowed through nearly the entire tumbler. "You know, I heard Hawkins tell you to come back to New York for a proper reward for rescuing Chris. I say, take him up on his offer. And seduce his wife at the same time. It would serve the jerk right." He smirked. "Do it for _me_."

The Norwegian flagged the waitress over for another vodka tonic for himself and another scotch for Aidan. He liked the idea as much as Aidan did. As he waited for his new drink - his fourth of the evening - he wondered how good it would feel to wipe that self-satisfied look off Hawkins' face.

* * *

Keith hesitated before he knocked on her door.

He knew he'd blown it with her. He knew he was in trouble, and he deserved to be. His behavior for the last few days had been abhorrent and inexcusable, and Allura certainly had no reason to let him into her personal quarters tonight. But he wanted to speak with her privately. Now that the kidnapping ordeal was over, his sister was safe, and he was beginning to deal with the skeletons from his past, he felt the need to explain his side of the story.

He wasn't blameless. But the Voltron captain wanted her to know what had been running through his head. He had not been in a good place, but he was beginning to come out of it. He was beginning to rebuild bridges towards the people he'd hurt.

When he finally knocked, she answered, fully dressed in her long formal nightgown and matching robe, white with yellow trim. She looked every bit as regal as she was. "Allura?"

"Keith. What is it?" she asked, almost curtly.

"I was wondering if I could come in. So we could talk."

"Hmm. I'm not much in the mood for talking right now, Keith. The last few days have been long and trying."

"I know, and I'm sorry. That's why I wanted to talk. I wanted to explain my side of things."

She nodded. "There will be time for that later, _after _all of our visitors have left. As for right now, I need to sleep, and I'll sleep better alone." She shot him a pointed look. "Good night, Keith."

And she shut the door in his face.


	25. It's Time

_Author's Note__: I really had to hustle to get this chapter out. I'm going on a working vacation tomorrow morning, and I won't be back 'til Wednesday morning, so I'm not expecting to get much writing done between now and then. Thank you to everyone who's been following along, because you all really lit a fire under my keister. I'm not lying when I say I'm really grateful, and I'm doing my best not to butcher anything or disappoint._

_As usual, I own nothing except my characters. Thanks to Wade Wells and bknbu for their ideas and input!_

_To Emie Mac - I know, I know, I've gotta get Aidan's backstory out there. After I finish "Icicle," you'll see a good chunk of him in "Fallen Empires." _

_To FroofyB - I got this chapter out as fast as I could so I didn't leave you hanging!_

_To Smithy - I got the idea for Hunk and Cinda from the Devil's Due comic. There's a scene where both Cinda __and__ Lisa are hitting on Hunk. I took that and ran with it!_

_To bknbu - I adore your idea for Aidan, Lisa and Shannon. Look for it to start in this chapter. And of all my characters, I think Aidan may be my favorite..._

_To Sally On - I was shocked that Aidan and Sven didn't end up in a fistfight. Really shocked. Really. (Break out the Ciroc.)_

_To Wade Wells - I adore Hunk! And we all love Crankypants, otherwise we wouldn't be here. Check out your scene as it begins in this chapter!_

_**Title Song: "It's Time" by Imagine Dragons**_

* * *

_Christiane had never been dressed so beautifully. She looked almost regal, wearing a long, flowing ballgown of exquisite lavender silk. Her fingers were adorned with rose-gold rings, and her neck was dripping with matching chains. Half of her long blue-black hair was twisted into braids, while the other half rippled down her back. Her turquoise eyes sparkled as the man in front of her reached out for her hand._

"_Eiko-chan," his voice reverberated throughout the thick, fragrant air. She had no idea who he was, but she immediately felt calm and safe around him. "Let us go see your brother."_

"_He is sleeping." She gazed into the man's dark, hollow eyes. He was enshrouded in a pale-blue cloak, and his brown hair reached down to his shoulders. From the looks of his long beard, he was older, but not terribly so. "I do not wish to disturb him."_

"_Trust me, we will not." She placed her hand in his - since when did she wear frosted nail polish? - and allowed him to lead her down the hallway. The door at the end was glowing ethereally, and she knew that was where her brother was sleeping. "Come. Through here."_

_The bearded, brown-haired man turned the doorknob without a sound and opened the door. She saw Keith on the bed, laying on his back, dressed in only his pajama pants. It was Keith from a few years ago, she gathered; he looked younger, and his blue-black hair was rippled in a horrible hairstyle. __A mullet__? she wondered with amusement. Then, as her eyes shot down to her brother's torso, her amusement turned to horror._

_As he laid there, Christiane realized that her brother wasn't asleep - he was in a coma. His chest was gashed open, glowing red and angry. She wanted to rush to his side, but the man with the beard held her close, and her feet would not move._

"_Do not go near him. You will see."_

_She watched, her mouth gaping open, as she saw the young blond girl come to Keith's side. She wept openly, her emerald eyes filling with tears as she touched the glowing wound. The love in the girl's heart was tangible._

_Was it a younger version of Princess Allura?_

_Christiane looked over at the man in wonder, drawing in a deep breath. "Is that who I think it is?" she asked him. "Is that the princess of Arus?"_

_The man gazed back at her, his dark eyes piercing through her. "You are the seer, Eiko-chan. It is up to you to find out the answers which you seek."_

_Then he disappeared, taking the image of her brother and the young princess with him. She was left alone in a glowing, empty room to wonder what events had transpired and what it all meant. She knew she would need to speak with the other members of the Voltron Force to figure out what had happened to her brother._

_Somehow, as she slept, Christiane Kogane knew that she'd had a vision and not just a dream. It was time to find out answers which she could only get from her brother._

* * *

Keith was absolutely miserable. After Allura had closed the door in his face, he had wandered back to his bedroom, feeling gutted and helpless. He felt like the most worthless, useless slug in the universe, and he feared that his girlfriend - the woman he'd spent so much of his adult life yearning for - wanted nothing more to do with him.

Not that it wouldn't have served him right. He had been terrible to her, and he knew it. If Allura had wanted to break up with him for good, or at least take a break from him, he wouldn't have blamed her.

After a restless night, Keith awoke the following morning to conduct his usual business: the perimeter scan. Starting a pot of coffee, he took his mug and filled it with the dark caffeinated liquid. Holding it in his hands, he let the steam and aroma blow comfortingly into his face as he made his way through the castle to the monitor at Castle Control.

He wasn't expecting to steamroll over Sven and Aidan, passed out on the floor of the main hall, on the way there. "Um...good morning?"

"Ugh." Aidan gripped his skull between both his hands. "Where in seven hells _are _we?" He kicked Sven awake next to him. "I don't think we made it back to any of the guest rooms last night." He coughed. "Hey Viking, are you hungover? Or are you actually sober?"

Sven inhaled, rubbing his face with his hands. "I think I'm okay. Just tired."

"_Sooo..."_ Keith began, "I take it you guys went drinking last night? Enough to barely be able to make it back to the castle?"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Aidan picked himself up off the floor and dusted himself off, then looked longingly at the mug in Keith's hands. "Ooh, did you start a pot of coffee?"

"Yeah. That's how I usually start my day. Black coffee and perimeter scan in Castle Control."

"Sounds good to me. Come on, Viking. Coffee might do you some good after all the vodka you drank last night."

Keith made a confused face as the two slinked away towards the coffee pot. _Sven and Aidan, hanging out together? All seven hells must have frozen over last night._ He waited for them to return, each holding a mug of steaming black coffee. "Come on. You're both going on perimeter scan with me."

Aidan rolled his eyes. "Joy."

By the time the three made it to Castle Control, Sven had slugged back all of his coffee, and Aidan was hot on his heels. "Wow. You guys must have had some kind of a wild night last night," Keith noted.

"He drank more than I did," Aidan pointed out.

"I'm Norwegian. I can handle it better than you can."

"I gotta give credit where credit is due."

"Oh, _enough_, before I change my mind and kick you both out of here." With a sip of his coffee, Keith punched a code in the computer keypad and started up the monitors for perimeter scan. The first shot that came onscreen was his favorite: Larmina on the balcony, practicing her Sun Salutations. Though she was on a side balcony, not the main balcony - that was a new one for her.

"Looks like she's spent some quality time with Len," Aidan commented.

"She has," Keith replied.

Sven looked confused. "Did I miss something?"

"Yeah," the Albegas captain explained. "After you guys left for Arus, Lenora took up yoga to balance out the rest of her training. She still practices just about every morning. I always tripped over that friggin' yoga mat in her apartment while we were dating."

Keith put down his coffee mug. "_You _dated Len, Aidan?" he inquired, mildly shocked.

"Yup. For ten months."

"And you were out with Sven last night, and he didn't kill you?"

"Hey, he hasn't killed Hawkins yet." An evil grin spread on his face. "There'll be time to remedy that later, though."

Keith sighed. "I don't think I want to know."

"No, you don't," Sven agreed.

The image on the screen switched to the main balcony. This view was considerably quieter. At least, it _would _have been quieter if Aidan Dalloway hadn't violently choked on the last of his black coffee. "Holy mother of pearl! What in seven hells is going on out there?"

The image of Shannon and Lisa came into focus. They were both sitting upright, propped up against the wall, fast asleep. Lisa's body was slumped against Shannon's, her head resting on his shoulder. The Irishman's head laid on top of hers, his arm draped around her and pulling her into his side.

Slowly, Sven and Keith turned their heads to see how Aidan would respond to the image.

The blond man inhaled sharply. "Hey Kogane, which balcony is that?"

"It looks like the main one."

Anger danced around in Aidan's sapphire eyes. "Thanks. Do me a favor and turn the cameras off, will you? I don't want there to be any evidence when I kill Irish."

Sven snorted.

Keith sighed as Aidan stormed out of Castle Control. "Seven hells, just when I thought my day couldn't get any worse..."

* * *

It was a beautiful, sunny morning in New York City, and Lenora felt much better. She'd slept through the night, albeit by herself in that large master bedroom, and had gotten caught up on the amount of sleep she'd lost during the kidnapping ordeal. After making herself a mug of green tea, she slipped into Lululemon yoga pants and a baby-blue tank top, then grabbed her yoga mat. She wanted to practice yoga on the terrace.

Jon's triplex on Fifth Avenue - _Our__ triplex_, she reminded herself - was magnificent. Lenora couldn't even begin to fathom what her husband's uncle must have paid for it when he purchased it so many years ago. Their home consisted of the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth floors of the historic building. Their master bedroom on the fourteenth floor, accompanied by a private sitting room and master bathroom, opened onto a huge terrace with an incredible view of Central Park.

Spring was just about there. She threw a long-sleeved grey pullover on over her tank top and headed outside. The temperature was cool, but it was nothing a few Sun Salutations and Warrior poses wouldn't fix. The sounds of the street - the typical sounds of New York - fell on her ears, and she smiled. No, it wasn't Paris, but it was _home_. And having spent four years in hiding and away from home, she appreciated the city more than she ever thought she could.

She missed Jon. His forty-second birthday was only a week or so away, and her birthday would follow a few weeks later. She would be thirty-two. As she set up the yoga mat on the terrace and positioned herself in _Padmasana_, or Lotus Position, she realized it would be eighteen years since her father was murdered, and six years since her mother's death from colon cancer. Thinking about the loss of her parents always - inevitably - led to thoughts about Sven. She hated the fact that she still thought about him, especially since she was happily married.

Sven had been a huge part of her. Had it not been for him, she would have never come out of her depression over her father's murder, and she most certainly never would have been able to endure her mother's passing. He had shown her what real romantic love was all about, and she was grateful that she had spent five years of her life with him. He had helped shape her into who she was, but he wasn't everything that she was.

She wouldn't - and couldn't - change who she was. She was a woman who, admittedly, was still in love with her old boyfriend. Yes, she loved her husband just as much, and most likely _more_, but she knew she was always going to be in love with the quiet Norwegian. She thought about that as she began her Sun Salutations, thinking that she could never be anything other than the woman she was.

* * *

The three Albegas mecha sat in front of the Castle of Lions, and Taye Benton sat in front of them, staring down Red - his and Christiane's mecha - with a bad feeling in his gut. Of course, there were many reasons to be out there in solitude. Some reasons were bigger than others.

The smaller reason was, of course, that it was his mecha, and he knew it intuitively. He'd spent almost a year piloting this vehicle. Despite the fact that most of his piloting had been in practice, he'd spent enough time in the cockpit to know when something was _off _about his mecha. And there was something wrong. He needed to find it.

The larger reason had to do with the Explorer and Vehicle Voltron. Sure, it had been great to see some of his old Academy classmates, Crik and Marvin in particular, but there was one Voltron Force member he could have done without seeing. That person, of course, was Modoch. He was the guy who cheated on Kelly and broke her heart.

Taye felt that he should be somewhat grateful to Modoch. Had the guy not cheated on Kelly when Wade grounded the Explorer, Taye wouldn't have his girlfriend now. He was crazy about Kelly, but he knew she was a little hesitant about their relationship. Modoch had scarred her, and she was afraid of investing the same amount of time, energy and love with Taye, just in case the outcome turned out to be the same.

It wouldn't. Taye was a good guy, and he had become even more of a man since meeting and falling for the First Officer. Of course, things had only improved further since getting awarded with a slot on the Albegas team. Things were going perfectly for him, if only Modoch would get out of the way.

"Eh, screw it." He climbed into the red mecha to start it up. There was something wrong with it, he just knew it. He didn't know why he knew it, he'd just felt it on Crydor. There was a problem with Red.

As he climbed in, the computer system wouldn't start.

Blast it. He _knew _there was something wrong. It was time to begin the process to start repairing the old robot.


	26. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

_Author's Note__: I had an excellent working vacation, and believe it or not, I managed to get a little writing done. Thanks to everyone who's been patiently waiting for the next chapter AND for following along with the story! As always, I own nothing except my characters._

_Thanks to Charigul for suggesting I use this song somewhere in this story. I think I found its place!_

_To FroofyB - Hooray! Glad you liked it! I aim to please._

_To Sally On - Ironically, I was re-reading the "Polluxian friends at the ball" chapter of your latest & greatest story when you were reviewing. Great minds think alike! As for Taye's section of the last chapter, well, it's a set-up for a big scene that starts on the S.S. Explorer._

_To Emie Mac - Glad to know that you still liked a chapter, even without Morgan and her Amigo. But Len doesn't know Jeff and Chris are engaged yet; that's coming soon._

_To bknbu - I love the idea of Aidan/Lisa/Shannon on the balcony! I hope it meets with your approval. And we've ALL been there with the idea of lost loves and "The One That Got Away" - although in my personal case, I don't know if I'd want him back now! ;)_

_To Wade Wells - Aidan has no room to flip out on Lisa and Shannon, especially not since he spent the previous night crying over his own ex! Oh, and keep watching for your special scenes in this chapter._

_**Title Song: The Shirelles' "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" cover by Amy Winehouse**_

* * *

He wasn't sure if Keith and Sven were still watching him in Castle Control, so he decided to display a measure of discipline as he broke onto the balcony to confront his girlfriend and the Irishman. He couldn't believe they were out there together, though his gut told him that nothing had happened. Lisa would never cheat on him, and in turn, he would never cheat on _her. _ He hadn't dated a woman this long in his entire life, and she was a good woman - he wasn't about to blow it on either count. He wasn't stupid like Modoch.

But if Shannon was trying to get in between them, well, he was going to find himself with a broken jaw.

He found them both in the same spot they were on the monitor, slumped against each other by the wall. The sight of Lisa nestled into the Irishman's side was even more painful in person than it was on the visual. How could she be that comfortable as she slept in another man's arms? It was nauseating.

Keeping his composure together and his anger in check - he _was _the captain of Albegas, after all - he cleared his throat. Loudly. "Ahem!"

Neither one of them woke up, and for a brief second, Aidan panicked. Were they _that _comfortable together that they could sleep through his intrusion? He decided to try again, even more loudly this time. "A-_HEM_!"

Lisa's eyelids flickered a few times before they finally opened. "Oh, Aidan," she yawned, attempting to stretch her arms overhead. It was only then that she realized that Shannon was still fast asleep next to her, his arm draped over her shoulder protectively. In an instant, she was wide awake, her eyes bulging open in fear. "Aidan, this isn't what it looks like."

He cracked a smile. "No? So, are you gonna tell _him_ that, too?"

She picked Shannon's arm up from off her shoulder and set it down on the ground. She gently shook him awake, and his face twitched as his eyelids cracked open. He muttered something under his breath that sounded like cursing in his native language, and then looked up sheepishly at the blond man. "Sorry, Aidan. This wasn't...I mean, I know it looks bad, but..."

"Just get outta here, Irish. I'd like to talk to my girl in private."

Shannon stood up and made a hasty retreat for the castle. _"Erin go bragh," _Aidan muttered sarcastically under his breath as he watched the Sea Team member make his exit.

Lisa gazed deeply back at her boyfriend, her dark eyes burning into his sapphire ones. "Aidan, please don't be mad. Shannon and I were just comforting each other last night, and we were out here so long that we fell asleep. That's all."

"Oh?" One eyebrow shot up. "What would either of _you _have to be upset about?"

Lisa sighed. "Do you not know me at all, Aidan? Are you that self-centered that you forgot all about Jeff's engagement to Christiane, like you're the only one who's ever had to watch an old flame marry someone else?"

His mouth dropped open in shock. He _had _forgotten. He had been too busy dwelling on Lenora last night to think about Jeff and Christiane.

"And if you'd ever paid enough attention, you'd know that Shannon has had a crush on Ginger for years, and now he's really upset that she's back with Lance." She shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I don't think that Shannon ever would've had a chance with her, not after the Lemon Drop incident. But when he saw that the two of them were missing last night, he got upset. It was like he was mourning the death of a dream."

"Yeah, well, sometimes it stinks to be any of us." He took her hand and pulled her off the ground and into a hug.

"Speaking of _stinks_...you smell like a bar."

"You don't say. I was at this bar called Heaven last night with the Viking. That's why I didn't come back to find you last night. The two of us were so wasted, we barely even made it back to the castle."

"Hmph. It figures." Lisa's eyes were awash in sadness. "We were all crying about our missed opportunities and lost loves last night. You, me, Sven, and Shannon." She sighed as she melted into Aidan's arms. "You'd think it wouldn't hurt so much anymore, right? You'd think we'd all be mature enough to be over our old relationships - Len, Gin, Jeff. I guess not."

Suddenly, Aidan snorted in laughter, "I just thought of something. On Senior Night, _I _took you to the dance, didn't I?"

Lisa knew what he was trying to do, and she giggled as she curled her arm around his waist. Her boyfriend had never been one for drama and deep talks. "That was against my will, Aidan Dalloway, if you remember correctly." She inhaled deeply, taking in the stench of the bar and the odor of the alcohol seeping out of his pores. "Hey, how come your tongue is blue?"

"Much like Crik at Wade's trial, I plead the Fifth." He cracked up, thinking he would never, _ever_ tell her about the fruity Blue Lion cocktail. "So, how about we case this joint to find a shower?"

"Aidan Dalloway, are you suggesting that we shower together? What kind of a girl do you take me for?"

He kissed the side of her face. "_My_ girl."

"Oh, you have gotten me into so much trouble since we started dating."

"And you love it."

"Yes, I do. And I love _you_."

"Oh, but not half as much as I love you, Lis."

As they wandered off in search of a shower and a change of clothes, Aidan decided that he had grown up. A year ago, he never would have thought he'd be in a serious, monogamous relationship. Also, he would have had _no _problem in taking Shannon out for his behavior. He came to the conclusion that maybe - just _maybe_ - if he was growing up, then he had a decent shot at finally getting over the Space Marshal.

* * *

When Christiane awoke from her vision, the first thing she realized was that she hadn't just darted awake from it with a pounding heart the way she normally would have. For some reason, this vision was calmer, not as tortured. But it filled her with questions that she knew she needed answers to, and she knew that her brother wouldn't hand over any explanations so readily.

The second thing she realized was that Jeff was passed out, sleeping so soundly that the world could have ended and he'd have slept right through it.

As she looked over at his sleeping form, it dawned on her that she had said yes. She was going to marry him when they returned to Earth, and she would wake up by his side every day for the rest of their lives - at least, when he wasn't on the Explorer. It was finally sinking in that she would soon be Mrs. Aki.

The only part that bothered her was the fact that they'd be moving out of David's and Morgan's house.

She planted a kiss on his shoulder, then headed off to the shower. As she washed herself, she thought about the vision from the night before. She was sure that it had been a younger Princess Allura weeping by Keith's bedside. And Keith...what in seven hells was he thinking with that mullet? All kidding aside, the sight of the bleeding, glowing gash on his chest bothered her, and she was determined to find out what happened and who had been the cause of it. She also wanted to rip her brother's shirt off him to verify the injury's existence with her own eyes, but she would save that for another time.

Once she was clean, she stepped out of the shower and dressed. She tossed her wet blue-black hair back in a makeshift chignon and made her way down to the main hall. She was looking for Keith. She wanted answers.

Unfortunately, Keith - and the answers she sought - would have to wait.

"Chris! Chris!" Taye called out, rushing into the main hall just as she was passing through. "We've got a problem with our mecha. You should come check it out, it's got your name written all over it."

"Oh, seven hells," she shot out in reply, mentally cursing herself for taking on way too much of David Rackens' vocabulary. "There's something wrong with Red? What is it?"

Taye shrugged. "Looks like computer failure. That's where you come in, Tech Sargeant."

She sighed. This was not how she wanted to start her morning. But she _was _a systems analyst, and that was her primary role on the team. "Okay. Let's check Red out and see if I can get it running. If not, I'll ask Sparks for help."

He nodded. "You've got the Stoker twins on hand, too. They might prove useful."

"Let's hope we don't need them. 'Cuz if we do, Red's in worse shape than we thought."

* * *

When Lenora finally made it to her office, a mug of green tea waited at her desk. She smiled. Though Kelly was her First Officer and not her assistant, sometimes she felt that the lines blurred between the roles. As she picked it up to take a sip, Kelly appeared in the doorway.

"Good morning, Space Marshal. Did you sleep well last night?"

"Very well, thank you. And thank you for the tea." She smiled as she placed the mug back down on the desk. "I even felt good enough to do yoga on the terrace this morning, too."

Kelly nodded in approval. "I hate to tell you this, but you missed your husband last night. He sent a transmission from Arus, and he looked a little disappointed that you weren't here."

"Is everything all right?"

"Oh, just fine. He had some cadet with him, though. She looked even more disappointed than he was that you weren't here. She wanted me to tell you that she missed you."

"Larmina?"

"Yeah, I think that was her." Kelly sat down across from her at the desk. "In any case, he wanted to ask how you would feel if you were asked to host a small wedding reception in your triplex."

"Why?" She raised her eyebrows. Any disappointment she felt over missing last night's transmission began to disappear, replaced by excitement. "Who's getting married?"

Kelly snickered. "Who do you _think_?"

"Jeff and Chris?"

"Jeff and Chris." She grinned wildly. "Can you believe it?"

Lenora smiled proudly. She adored Jeff; the two of them just _understood_ each other. There were too many Academy days spent with them fighting over who got to sleep on Lance's beanbag chair when they were both kicked out of their rooms by their forever-arguing roommates. Or the night he held her on the floor of the Explorer as she grieved over Sven. "That's wonderful. I'm so happy for the two of them." Her eyebrows furrowed. "Wait...we're having their reception in my _home_?"

Kelly coughed. "Yeah...Jon gave you and Morgan complete freedom."

"Good Lord. Morgan's gonna take that and _run _with it."

"Yes. Yes, she is."

They basked in happiness for a while, thrilled that something good was finally happening. After all of the drama and stress that the kidnapping episode caused, it was nice to have something happy to look forward to. Lenora mentally began running up lists of what she needed to purchase and who she needed to call for a wedding reception. For Jeff and Christiane, any amount of money was worth it.

She could hardly wait for her friends to begin their lives together.

* * *

Commander Hawkins oversaw Christiane, Chip, Pidge, and Sparks as they worked on Red. Taye sat in his pilot's seat, continually flipping switches and pressing buttons as they ran through a systems check on the mecha. So far, nothing was turning up.

"Dude, maybe this thing is just freakin' _old_," Chip muttered under his breath.

Christiane swatted him. "I heard that, Short Stack."

"Ow!"

Pidge laughed, which only caused his twin brother to become annoyed and kick him. "Hush up, Shorty," Chip grumbled, which only made Pidge laugh harder.

Sparks sighed. "Commander, as much as I hate to admit it, Stoker - _Chip _Stoker - has a point. Albegas is an old machine. And unlike Lion Voltron, there's no memory metal or mystical qualities associated with it; it's just _old_." He frowned. "Who were the technicians that the Space Marshal hired to work on Albegas? We might need them."

Christiane looked frustrated. She knew that, as the team's systems analyst, she should be able to fix the problem, but she had tried everything. And if she couldn't get Red moving with three other systems analysts to help her, then there was a big problem with the unit. One which she wouldn't be able to solve herself. "As much as I hate to admit defeat, Sparks might be right."

Taye climbed out of his pilot seat and joined them outside as Hawkins nodded. "She hired a team personally - I didn't hear much about the specialists she chose," he disclosed. "But I do know that she worked with them. Albegas is her baby. She fought hard to get this robot running for the Garrison." He shook his head. "Sargeant Benton, I think you may need to board all three Albegas mecha on the Explorer. I wouldn't suggest trying to return to Earth with the red mecha's computer offline. We can't risk the computer going out in the other two mecha while they're in mid-flight."

The four tech sargeants exchanged a glance and nodded. Christiane looked up at Taye, and he gave one quick incline of his head in approval. "I'll inform Dalloway and Rackens," he offered, jumping up from Red and heading towards the castle. As he did, he thought wryly, _We're hitching a ride back to Earth on the Explorer? Oh, Aidan's gonna __love__ this. _


	27. Get Yourself Back Home

_Author's Note__: I think we ALL remember, far too well, the duel between Keith & Lotor which resulted in Keith's chest getting slashed open. (Laser shock? I don't freaking think so.) I spent some time replaying the DotU episode "Summit Meeting" as well as the GoLion episode "The Seven Free Planets" to get Christiane's vision right. I know that my stories are all based in the realm of the Nicktoons' cartoon series, but I've been a Voltron fan since 1984 and my roots are in DotU. So any time I have an homage to pay to DotU/GoLion, I want to make sure I've done my job properly._

_As per usual, I own nothing except my characters._

_To bknbu - Albegas hasn't been sabotaged, it's just __old__. Poor Albegas. I'm glad you liked the "Erin go bragh" part - that was too Aidan to pass up. As for Keith & Chris, Lance & Ginger, and Romy & Erimar, they ALL make special appearances in this chapter._

_To Emie Mac - Poor Jon. All he wanted was another meal at Per Se. You're right, I don't think he has a clue as to what sort of monster he's unleashed._

_**Title Song: "Get Yourself Back Home" by Gym Class Heroes ft. Neon Hitch (the "very clean" version A$$ Back Home**__**)**_

* * *

Once Sven left Castle Control in search of a shower, a toothbrush and a change of clothes - Keith hated to admit it, but the Viking _did _stink, and what was up with the blue in the corners of his mouth? - the captain of the Voltron Force finished the perimeter scan and shut the monitors off. He then felt the familiar numbness come rushing back into his system. He had been able to briefly suspend the feeling with his usual daily activities and Sven's presence. Now that he was done with the scan and Sven was gone, everything came back to him.

He felt horrible.

Allura closing that door in his face last night...well, he was certain that if there was a bottom to how low he could ever feel, that was it. He had blown it with her. She was bound to break up with him. How could she stay with him after how horribly he'd treated her over the past few days? Word was bound to get back to Prince Erimar, and he'd be on Arus in no time to claim his childhood friend as his bride.

_Way to go, Kogane._

The feeling was awful. He wanted to crawl into his bed, bury himself underneath the sheets, and sleep until the world ended. Of course, he had his duty and far too much pride and honor to do so, but that didn't mean he didn't feel like it.

He pushed himself up from the chair in front of the computer screens. He had to find something to do. He needed to keep himself preoccupied so he didn't obsess about Allura. If he didn't, he would inevitably make the already-fragile situation worse.

"Ah, Captain Kogane. There you are. I've been meaning to speak with you, but you tend to be a difficult man to catch alone."

Keith's breath caught in his throat as a chill shot up his spine. He didn't even need to turn around to know who was there. He recognized the British accent immediately. As he turned around slowly, the mop of brown hair, grey eyes, and blue Albegas uniform only reinforced who he already knew to be standing there.

David Rackens.

Slowly exhaling, Keith attempted to read David's expression. There was no malice or anger in it, but there _was _a sense of amusement. "David. Good morning. What would you like to speak with me for?" As he ran out of common courtesies, he added idiotically, "There's coffee if you'd like some."

_Great. How much worse can this day possibly get?_

"Thank you. I'd appreciate it."

Keith showed him where the coffee was, and David filled a mug with the steaming liquid, then added a small amount of milk. As he sipped it, he looked over the Voltron captain with a discerning eye. Finally, he stated, "I'm trying to figure you out, Keith Kogane. I know how much my wife loved you - seven hells, I see that 'K' tattoo on her lower back every day - and I think I get it. I understand the infatuation."

"Um..." Keith was at a loss for words.

David laughed. "Relax, Keith. I'm not angry, I'm just trying to sort things out for myself." He took another sip of coffee. "You and I are two very, very different people, you know."

"Probably not as different as you might think." He shook his head. "We're both honorable men. We both work hard, we both take our duties seriously. We both love Morgan." His eyes dropped to the floor as he waited for David to cut him off or cut his heart out. He did neither, so Keith continued. "The only real difference between us is that I didn't do right by Morgan. I never have. I have issues, David, lots of them. I'm still trying to work through them. And I'll probably lose Allura because of them."

David placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and Keith suddenly understood why Morgan had married him. David was a good man. Had it been any other man in the Alliance, Keith was sure he would have been on the receiving end of a blow to the face, and yet David was calm and friendly. "We _all _have issues. You think I don't?" He grinned wryly. "Come with me."

He followed David to the main hall and out the door, into the gardens and sunshine. Keith was now completely sure that all seven hells were indeed frozen over. Between Sven and Aidan getting drunk together the night before, and him walking the gardens with David this morning, he was sure that everyone was ice-skating in those seven hells at this moment.

"Keith, I don't know if you remember my girlfriend Anastasia from the Academy."

Keith wracked his brain. "The redhead? I remember seeing her with you at the shooting matches."

"Yes, that's her. I dated her for seven years. Long story short, she dumped me two years after graduation."

"That stinks."

"It was all my fault." David took another sip. His face was serene as he recounted the incident. "Not to brag, but I am an extraordinary gunner, Kogane. The best the Garrison has ever seen. I lived on my laurels for quite some time, and she got tired of it. She said I'd rather spend my money on shooting equipment than on an engagement ring for her. Sad thing is, she was right."

"I hate it when all a woman wants is an engagement ring."

"Well, I suppose that after seven years, she deserved it." David sighed. "After Anastasia left, I realized that I took her for granted. I was used to having her around, and I _liked _having her around. Looking back on it, though, I didn't love her. I was settling. Our relationship was just easy."

Keith snorted. "Trust me when I say that my relationship with Morgan was _never _easy."

"No, I suppose not." David shrugged before he continued. "Anyway, I couldn't think of anything better to do with my life, and if it meant I could still use a gun, then I wanted to teach the Academy kids to shoot. Of course, that meant I had to get a teaching degree, so I enrolled in the graduate courses at the Academy. And there was Morgan, taking the same courses to learn how to teach navigation."

"She's always been a great navigator."

"We knew each other through Lenora - I taught Len how to shoot. So we decided to become study buddies, I guess you could say. At the time, we were both reeling from our recent break-ups. Me from Anastasia, her from you. One night, after we were done studying, we decided to just hang out and have a couple of beers, and that's how we found out that we were both single and hurting. We made a pact that whenever we wanted to call our exes, we'd call each other instead. So we did that for an entire year. That's how I got to know her - and, subsequently, you."

"Uh-oh." Keith braced himself for a smack-down of some sort. Verbal or physical, it didn't matter. Either way, it was going to hurt. "Do your worst, Rackens. I can handle it."

David laughed. "Why should I get angry? I'm thanking you, Keith - you're the reason we're together. Do you know how many times that girl called me? Madness, I tell you." He shook his head, smiling, and for a brief moment, Keith was ragingly jealous of him. "After she'd been calling me for a year, we decided to go to the annual Halloween dance together. Just as friends. No big deal. Just a friendly date. And then she showed up in this silver dress...I don't even remember what the dress looked like on her. I only knew that I didn't want to be just her study buddy anymore. We started seeing each other exclusively, I proposed to her at graduation, and we were married the following year."

Keith stared up into the sky. He wasn't quite sure how he wanted to respond to that, though he supposed he was happy that Morgan was happy. He hadn't been lying when he told David that he hadn't done right by Morgan, and he certainly wasn't lying when he said he loved her. He did. He knew deep down that he would always love Morgan on some level, no matter what.

Finally, he stated, "David, you're a good man. And if Morgan's happy, then I'm happy. I just want her to be happy."

"You're a good man too, Kogane. Now that we've cleared the Morgan issue up, do me a favor and patch things up with your sister. I am very fond of Christiane, but she doesn't need me. She needs _you_."

Keith knew there would be no further discussion on this topic. David was right; he _had _to patch things up with his sister. He supposed he would start as soon as he could. There was a lot of lost time to make up for.

* * *

Lance rolled over in bed to snuggle with Ginger, but she was sitting upright at the edge of the bed instead of lying down next to him. She was dressed in uniform, and she smelled freshly showered. "Blast it," he whined, half-asleep, "did you take a shower without me?"

"I did," she retorted. "I couldn't get the stench of gin out of my skin." She sighed. "We're too old to still be drinking like this, Lance."

"We're thirty-two. We're not _that _old."

She winked at him. "Yes, but we're certainly not as young as we were when we caused the Lemon Drop incident, are we?"

He yawned. "Who cares?"

Instead of volleying back a playful retort, Ginger looked sad for a moment. "I went to go get coffee while you were still sleeping," she informed him. "Apparently, the castle gossip has it that Jeff proposed to Christiane yesterday, and they're getting married when we get back home. They made the announcement last night at dinner." She looked down at the floor. "I told you that I dated Jeff for a little while after you left for Arus, right?"

Lance nodded. "Yeah, something like that." He assessed her somber face. "Hey, you're not upset that he's getting married, are you? I thought you were way over him - _and _I thought you never wanted to get married. You and I, we were never believers in the institution of marriage." He thought back to Anadora's garnet-and-diamond ring. It seemed like forever ago that he and Daniel had been on Planet Brann, where the queen had gifted him with that ring. He thought back to her words - _But whoever you give it to, make sure she is worthy of it_ - and thought that, yes, Ginger was worthy of it. He hadn't planned on proposing, especially since neither one of them was too keen on the idea of marriage, but he would do it for her.

She sighed. "No. I still don't believe in marriage. There's no such thing as a piece of paper that's gonna make somebody stay." She nodded emphatically. "Besides, I think Mae West put it best when she said _'Marriage is a fine institution, but I'm not ready for an institution._'"

Lance cracked up. "I love you, Gin."

"Love you back, Lance." She shrugged. "I guess I'm just sad that Jeff's getting married because it means we're all growing up. Len's married, Morgan's married, Sven's married, Jeff's engaged, and we're counting down 'til Lisa and Aidan are engaged, too. We're not kids anymore."

"No. That, we are not."

He grabbed her and pulled her back down on the bed to finally get that snuggle he'd been looking for. He couldn't believe how mushy he'd become since Ginger came back into his life. Oddly enough, he felt a little disappointed that she didn't want to get married. For some reason, he found himself wanting to slide that garnet ring onto her finger.

* * *

After leaving the breakfast table, Christiane headed directly towards Allura's quarters with Pidge's words ringing in her ears. She was glad that she'd thought to grab the Green Lion pilot for a private conversation over coffee and croissants. Her vision had been nagging her, and she thought that if she could get unbiased facts from one of her brother's teammates, it would help her solve the puzzle.

And when she said _teammates_, she chose to exclude Allura due to her appearance in the vision.

Pidge was the logical choice. They were both systems analysts and they had been working together on Albegas all morning. So when Pidge crammed half of a chocolate croissant in his mouth ("Hey, I'm Baltan, and we _like _our sweets," he explained unself-consciously), she told him that she was a seer and that she'd had a vision.

"That's cool," he'd replied. "Tell me about your vision."

She proceeded to tell him about the man with the brown hair and long beard. About her mullet-headed brother laying in bed in a coma, a glowing red gash upon his chest. About the weeping emerald-eyed young woman she suspected to be Allura holding vigil by his bed.

Pidge's face fell. "Christiane, that really happened," he'd informed her quietly, looking pained at the memory. "Keith was trying to rescue Allura from Lotor, and he got his chest hacked open for his efforts. We almost lost him." Then he'd looked up from his croissant. "And how come it was only Allura in your vision? The whole lot of us was holding a bedside vigil."

So now Christiane was headed towards Allura's royal quarters, intent on finding answers. She knew from her seer abilities that there was a special reason that Allura had been singled out in the bedside vigil in her vision. It could only mean one thing..._Don't go jumping to conclusions, Eiko-chan. Speak with the princess first._

Her heart pounding, she politely knocked on the door. A moment later, when there was no answer, she knocked again.

"Coming!" she heard a voice cry out, and then Allura opened the door. Her long blond hair was brushed to perfection, hanging down straight and sleek to its full length down her back. She was in her blue-and-black Voltron uniform, with her blue tiara perched upon her regal head. Her emerald eyes flickered with curiosity as she took in the sight of her boyfriend's sister. "Oh, good morning, Christiane. I trust you slept well."

Without thinking, Christiane grabbed the princess's bare hand. The knowledge swept through her, and she smiled. _Just as I thought. Allura is The One. She is The One for Keith._ "Yes, I slept very well, thank you. I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted to see if Keith was in your chambers."

Allura scowled slightly. "No. He slept in his own quarters last night. I'm sure he's out and about, doing perimeter scan and the like."

Christiane nodded, then squeezed the princess's shoulder. "Allura, I know I have problems with him right now, too, but try not to be so hard on Keith. He can't handle feeling as though both of us are against him, especially in your case. You don't need to work out your problems this second, but when I go back home, you'll have plenty of time to do that."

She looked confused.

"Trust me, Princess. Work through your problems. Keith's worth it." She inclined her head. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to find Dalloway and let him know that we're hitching a ride home on the Explorer."

Allura stared after Christiane as she disappeared down the hallway. Then, as she ducked back into her room, she grinned to herself. She had no idea what had just transpired, but she suddenly felt better about mending the situation with Keith.

* * *

As she sat in Erik's nursery, holding her new nephew and rocking back and forth with him, Emma wanted to vomit. Sven was right, there was definitely something comforting about rocking a young child back to sleep. And right now, she needed comfort. For someone who had just gotten married and was supposed to be in a glowy, happy honeymoon phase, it just didn't seem right.

Before the wedding, she had promised Sven that she would take care of Erik if anything happened to either him or Romelle. She hadn't expected anything bad to happen, of course, and this scenario wasn't anything particularly..._devastating._ But it was certainly unexpected. No one would have expected Sven to rush off to rescue a friend's sister. And certainly no one would have expected Romelle to begin an affair with one of her brother's wedding guests.

Yes, Emma knew that her new sister-in-law was having an affair with the prince from Tyvel. She didn't mean to go snooping, but when Romelle hadn't shown up to feed Erik, Emma went looking for her. She knew that the Polluxian princess had been spending time with Erimar, so she went to the prince's guest room to fetch her. As she stood in front of the closed door, she heard sounds that she knew she shouldn't be hearing - it sounded like a couple in the throes of passion, complete with moans and sighs and creaking bed springs.

She recognized the voices behind the closed door undoubtedly as Romelle's and Erimar's.

Now she sat in the rocking chair in the nursery, trembling, trying to alleviate her jitters by holding Erik and rocking him. The boy looked up at her with his slate-blue eyes - Sven's eyes - in interest, trying to figure out exactly who she was and what she was doing there in place of his mother.

She heard a knock at the door, and Bandor let himself in. Her new husband grinned at her sheepishly, his long dark-red curls grazing his shoulders. "Wow, Em. I love looking at the way you hold a baby."

"Bandor, you are terrible." She stood up, Erik still in her arms. "So what is it? I know you must have come in here for a reason other than to bother me." She shot him a playful smile as she kissed his lips.

"What, I'm not allowed to miss my wife?" he teased. "No, you're right. Sven's on the communicator, and he's asking for Romelle, and I can't find her." He paused. "I was wondering if you could help me out."

Emma bit her tongue. She was going to stay out of her sister-in-law's personal affairs, even if it meant betraying poor Sven. "No, I haven't got a clue where Romelle is. I haven't seen her all day." Technically, she wasn't lying - she hadn't exactly _seen _Romelle. "But I'll go to the control room and speak with Sven, if you'd like. I'll even bring Erik. I bet Sven would love to see Erik."

"You're pretty good at this, Em."

She shrugged as best she could with the boy in her arms. "I do my best."

In the control room, she couldn't help but notice the way Sven's face lit up with joy at the sight of his son. "There's my boy!" he cried out, and Erik turned his face to the monitor to smile. The event made Emma feel ridiculously happy, but at the same time, incredibly sad and guilty, knowing what events were taking place in Erimar's guest room. "Where is Romelle?"

Emma and Bandor turned to each other and shrugged. "We don't know, Sven," Bandor replied. "We haven't seen her all day."

"Hmm." Sven narrowed his eyes slightly, and Emma swore she saw a brief flash of - _something_ - behind his eyes. "Well then, could you please pass a message along to my wife for me?"

Emma didn't like the way he said _my wife_, but she couldn't blame the guy for being irritated. "Of course."

"Please inform her that Keith's sister has been rescued. Because I was the one to pull her out of the wreckage on Crydor, Commander Hawkins of the S.S. Explorer has asked me to return to the Galaxy Garrison with the Voltron Vehicle Team and Albegas for a proper reward." He paused, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. "Since it doesn't look like I've been missed on Pollux, I am going to accept his offer and will be going to Earth within the next day or two. I will keep you updated."

Bandor nodded. "Yes, of course. I'll pass the message along to my sister." Emma didn't like the way he said _my sister_, either, as though there was some sort of threat lurking underneath. She kissed the top of Erik's head to ignore the discomfort in the room.

"Thank you, Bandor. Sven out."

"Good-bye, Sven." Emma took Erik's arm and waved it at the monitor. "Say 'Bye-bye, Daddy!'"

Sven smiled again, a broad, true smile aimed at Erik, as he shut the transmission off.

Once he backed away from the monitor in Castle Control, Sven eagerly went to go find Aidan and inform him of his split-second decision to return to Earth. He hadn't been aware until that very moment - the moment he noticed that his wife couldn't be bothered to show up for his transmission - that he was going to take Hawkins up on his reward offer. And it would be an incredible reward; one that Hawkins himself would never see coming.

He was going back to New York. Back to his _elskede _and back to his home.


	28. Weapon of Choice

_Author's Note__: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. I got one heck of a nasty virus, which left me unable to write (or eat, or talk, or swallow, or be upright) for a while. Blech. I'm feeling better but I'm still not at 100%. A new ailment takes center stage every day. _

_To state the obvious, I own nothing except my characters._

_To FroofyB - I missed writing Emma. I think she's great fun to write. I'm so happy you enjoy this story, but keep writing your own, I need something to read, too! Thanks again for the compliments._

_To bknbu - I'm not sure if Ginger ever wants to get married, but I know she wants a commitment outta the Garrison's (and Voltron's) most notorious playboy. And there is a huge Sven/Len/Jon plotline coming down the highway, so be ready! Thanks again for the correspondence and the coompliments._

_To Sally On - Boy, do those Baltans like their sweets. Ask Chip. :) As for David, he's definitely a good guy, he's always looking out for Chris, and if that means making nice with his wife's ex, then he'll do it. A class act indeed._

_To Emie Mac - I too am sad that the crew is leaving Arus soon! But you know what that means: there's a wedding and a (near-catastrophic) bachelor party on its way._

_To Wade Wells - I am so grateful for your correspondence; I know how much you love this story. As for the David/Keith scene, I wanted to put that in there for a few reasons. One, as I pointed out to Sally, David's always looking out for Chris, and whatever he needs to do to take care of her, he'll do it. Two, I wanted Keith to know in no uncertain terms that Morgan IS happy without him, and he can rest assured knowing that she's with a good guy. On that note, if Keith knows that Morgan's happy and he doesn't need to worry about her anymore, then he can feel guilt-free in winning Allura back. And three, there are so many guys throwing punches (or wanting to throw punches) at each other that I thought it would be nice to have one guy speak with his wife's ex with no malice involved._

_**Title Song: "Weapon of Choice" by Fatboy Slim**_

* * *

Lotor was alone in his chambers. His command ship was in need of repairs, and after landing on Doom, Cossack had gotten to work on the hull of the ship. He never gave the general enough credit - for being such a bumbling fool, he happened to be especially gifted in piloting and general repair jobs.

Not that Castle Doom was finished. Lotor still remembered the day Voltron had destroyed his castle, and how that lowly pest with the weird accent - _Sven?_ - had charged him off the top of the remaining tower. Then, after they'd fallen together and crashed into the moat, Lotor had managed to smuggle away to his private residence on Doom, only to meet up with Voltron on his balcony.

It was not something he wanted to remember.

His private chambers - or at least, they would have to do until the new Castle Doom was completed - sat on the top floor of the incomplete building. At least there was a roof and a door, if not much else. Sitting on his bed, he thought about what he missed most. His harem. Christiane. Allura.

It was always women and conquest with him. Then again, women _were _conquests to him.

As angry as he was with Christiane, he couldn't help but think back to her as his captive. Every curve of her body, the way her thick blue-black hair rippled down the creamy skin of her back...she had been incredible. And, much unlike many other women, she hadn't resisted him. She hadn't fought him off. She allowed him to do whatever he wished with her, and she smiled the entire time.

_If only Allura would be smart enough to do that. Devil knows her cousin Romelle wasn't._

He thought about Allura's emerald eyes and golden hair, her lush lips and generous curves. He thought about what it would be like to move her on his bed the way he had moved Christiane. It was at that moment that he decided he still needed to possess the princess. He wasn't about to let her slip away for good.

Though the Drule king had never been patient, he realized that this was the time where he had to accept that he couldn't have what he wanted right away. He needed to wait. He needed to be strong enough to overthrow Arus and Voltron. He needed a better plan, a more thorough strategy, and more powerful tools.

At the moment, Wade and Maahox were working together on the Predator Robeast. Maahox was in the process of cultivating more Haggarium, and better-quality Haggarium at that. "It might take years, my lord," the occult scientist had warned him. Lotor had initially been vehemently angered by that statement, but now he was beginning to realize that perhaps it might not be such a bad thing, after all. If he wanted to crush Voltron, he had to be bigger. Stronger. Faster.

An enhanced Predator Robeast would be his weapon of choice.

* * *

After eating breakfast together, Jeff and Morgan ran into Sven. The Norwegian had changed back into his pair of dark-washed jeans, updated with a plain black T-shirt and black leather boots. He had dressed, they noted, nearly exactly the same way he would in his off time at the Academy.

"I'm going back to Earth with you," he informed them flatly.

Morgan shot Jeff a nervous glance. "Um..." she stalled for time. "Not that I haven't missed you, Sven, but you're really gonna take Jon up on his reward offer?"

Sven nodded wickedly.

"You do realize that you'll hafta hitch a ride to Earth on the Explorer with us, right?" Jeff asked unsurely. "The Albegas crew and mecha have to come back with us too - Red went offline, and Commander Hawkins won't let anyone or anything Albegas-related fly. God forbid Black or Blue go offline while mid-flight."

"So what if I have to ride on the Explorer?" Sven shrugged, not seeming the least bit concerned. "That's not a problem. _Besides," _he added, a dark grin curving along his lips, "your Commander Hawkins seems to like me very much after rescuing your fiancée, Jeffrey."

"True," Jeff shot back, irritated, "but if he finds out about you and Len, you're gonna find yourself in deep space without a spacesuit. The commander tends to be pretty possessive of his wife."

Morgan elbowed him.

"Er...I mean _protective_."

Sven stared back at his two old friends, his eyes hardening to ice. "Thank you for worrying about me," he said in a tone that implied he was anything but. "It's nice to know I still have people who care about me. But anything I had - or _have _- going on with Lenora is no one's business but mine and hers."

Morgan shook her head fiercely. "You're wrong, Viking. She has a husband. You have a wife and a _child_. I think there are still a few people out there who would say that it _is _somebody else's business. A few somebodies, actually."

Of course Morgan would point out something like that. Sven understood Keith's old flame better than most; being a navigator required an exacting personality, and its comprehension of advanced math caused those who followed the profession to see things in black and white. There were no shades of grey, which made every decision clear-cut: right or wrong, good or bad, yes or no.

"I understand your concern," he told them, hurling his words as a weapon, "but she and I have some unfinished business to attend to. A few hours is not going to solve the ten years' worth of questions and hurdles that need to be overcome."

Jeff exhaled. "So you're saying that the commander and your family are mere obstacles? Quote, unquote hurdles to overcome?"

Sven shook his head. At that moment, he realized that no one would understand what was going through his head. No one could ever possibly appreciate what he had been through since leaving Earth for Arus - giving up his fiancée, flying Blue Lion, Haggar's cat and robeast, his time on Ebb, being captured by Zarkon's fleet, being worked to near-death as a slave on Doom, their final victory, marrying Romelle, the onslaught of the Haggarium infection, Erik's birth. There was just too much to even begin to comprehend.

He knew that only Lenora would completely understand.

"Sven, _please_," Morgan begged sadly. "Don't do something you might regret."

"I've already done that. The only thing I regret is walking away from her. I never should have left her." With those words, Sven turned around and walked away. He didn't know where he was going. He only knew he had to kill time until the Explorer left for Earth.

* * *

The Albegas crew, minus Morgan, sat in the common area, discussing the situation with the three mecha and Hawkins' decision to ground them until they could be repaired back at the Garrison. Unsurprisingly, Aidan wasn't too happy about hitching a ride back to Earth on the Explorer. On the other hand, it meant more time he could spend with his girlfriend and best mate, so all in all, he took the news better than his teammates thought he would.

Once their meeting was adjourned, Christiane slunk out of the common area and went off in search of Jeff and Morgan. She knew that the two of them had to be together; when he wasn't on the Explorer, he was rarely without his girlfriend - fiancée, now - and his closest friend.

But it wasn't her fiancé that she ran into. It was her brother.

Keith looked like he'd been through the wringer. In all honesty, with everything that had occurred over the past few days, he probably had. But now, as he looked at her intently with their identical eyes, she knew he had come to talk. He was finally ready to let her in.

Before he opened his mouth, she whispered, "We need someplace private. Where can we go?"

He looked at her, surprised, before remembering that she was a seer and just knew some things. "The gardens. I took a walk this morning with - of all people - David Rackens. I know the gardens are empty."

"Good." She nodded. "Though you don't have to look so miserable when you mention Dave. He's one of the best men I know."

"Yeah. I kinda figured that out." He held out his arm, and Christiane took it, eager to get their conversation underway. There was so much she wanted to tell him, and so much she needed to hear from him. "Listen. If you don't want to do this right now, I'll understand."

"There is nothing else I'd rather do right now." She gripped his arm even more tightly, as if to drive home the point. "We could go out like this, or we could go on like that. But I'd rather go like _this_."

Somehow, the cryptic words made perfect sense to him.

In the privacy of the gardens - Keith couldn't believe he was back there for the second time this morning - Christiane blinked at him innocently. "Are you _sure _it's just us, Akira-chan?" she asked sweetly. "I don't want you to be embarrassed."

"What in seven hells would I have to be embarrassed about?"

As soon as the words were out, she grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it upward, exposing his bare chest. She gazed at his scar silently, shaking her head. "I knew it. My visions never lie. And I didn't think Pidge would, either."

Keith looked near panic. "_What _are you doing, Christy?"

"A man appeared to me in my vision last night, Keith." She gazed back at him, her eyes glazing over as she recalled her vision. "He brought me to a room where you were lying with this glowing red gash in your chest. A younger version of Princess Allura sat by your bedside, weeping." She ran her fingers over the length of the scar. Time had healed the worst of it, but the flesh-colored slash would never go away. "Pidge told me that really happened, but I guess I couldn't believe it until I saw it myself."

"Well, now you see it." Keith wrestled his shirt down over his chest. He didn't particularly care to see the scar; he saw it enough every day of his life. "Though I don't know what the purpose of all of this was."

"Yeah, I didn't, either." Her eyes flashed, annoyed. "So I took the liberty of reaching out to the princess this morning."

"Oh? And what did you have to say to her?"

"Nothing. I didn't _have _to say anything, and I wouldn't have, except it would have been terribly rude not to. I just needed to touch her bare skin to have my answer. And when I grabbed her hand, I saw exactly what I needed to see."

"Which was?" Keith knew he was in the doghouse with Allura, but he would still defend her, no matter what.

"She's The One, Keith. She's _your _One. The two of you are supposed to be together. So if you don't stop ruining it, you're gonna end up grieving for the woman you lost for the rest of your life." She paused to narrow her eyes. "You're gonna end up like Sven."

Keith's head reeled from the mountain of information his sister shot out at him. "What do you mean, Allura's The One? That soulmate talk is just fluff."

"Call it what you want, but it's the truth. For reasons we'll never understand, your heart and soul are inextricably linked to Allura's. Just the way mine are to Jeff's, Morgan's are to David's, and Sven's are to Lenora's."

Keith stopped breathing. _"What?" _he gasped out when he finally caught his breath.

"The idea of The One is real, Keith. It does exist. It's the term to describe two people's hearts, minds and souls being unified as one. The term _soulmate _is kinda cheesy, but it does somewhat accurately describe the condition." She shrugged. "And like I said, if you continue to blow it with Allura, you and Sven are gonna end up in the same miserable boat together."

"I don't want to blow it with Allura." Keith felt his voice break along with his heart, and he struggled to remain strong. He _was _the captain of the Voltron Force, after all. He chose to ignore the comments about Sven for now; there would be ample time to put the pieces of that twisted jigsaw puzzle together later. "I've always known, on some level, that she's The One. I've always felt a connection to her. Even when I was underground on the mission to retrieve Black, I sensed that she was always with me."

"That's great. That's a profound example of what I'm talking about." She drew Keith's face in to meet hers, and for a moment, nothing existed except for two twin pairs of turquoise orbs. "That connection is what sets you apart. No one else has it, and you will never have that same strong bond with another person. Don't get me wrong, if The One dies, or is separated from you for an extended period of time, the universe will create another person for you to share a similar bond with, like a consolation prize. Except that bond will never be as strong as the bond you have with The One." She shook her head. "There's no consolation prize for you here, Keith. Not even Morgan. There's only Allura. So for the love of all that is holy, don't ruin it."

"Geez. Way to drive the point home, Eiko-chan."

"I have to. I've got to make sure I get it through that thick skull of yours." Finally, she let go of his face and backed away, looking back at his chest again. "I think the man in my vision wanted me to see you like that, Akira-chan. He wanted me to see you as fallible. He wanted me to know that you're flawed."

"Well, gee," he shot out sarcastically, "that's _great_."

"No, not like that. This man wanted me to know that despite your shortcomings, you're a good man, and there is no one better to lead the Voltron Force. You're not perfect, but you don't need to be. And because you're not perfect, I can accept that _I'm _not perfect, and I can forget whatever's happened between us in the past and tell you that I love you, I've missed you, and I need you in my life."

Finally, _finally_, Keith felt everything was okay between the two of them. They were flawed. They were fallible. They were imperfect. And yet, they were brother and sister, and there was no grievance between them that was too great to overcome. He wrapped his arms around Christiane, feeling grateful and humbled for the chances he'd been given. He'd been given a second chance with his sister, and all he had to do now was convince Allura for a second chance as well. For some reason, he knew that once he overcame the hurdles that stood immediately in the way of his happiness with his princess, he would never blow it again.

Gripping hands, they headed back to the castle, feeling better than ever. For the first time, Keith felt his day was looking up. He was actually smiling when Christiane asked him, "Do you think you and Allura will make it to Earth for the wedding?"

Keith looked down at her. Normally, he wouldn't risk it - how could two Voltron pilots be so irresponsible as to leave Arus when Lotor could turn around and attack again? - but now things were different. There were now three cadets who had been trained to pilot the lions, and Pidge had made major updates to the castle's defenses. Life would go on if he and Allura took some time for a holiday, especially if the holiday entailed his sister's wedding.

"Yes, absolutely. We wouldn't miss it for anything."

"Thank you. It would mean everything to me if you two were there."

Keith nodded and kissed the top of her head. "Christy, you and Allura...I don't know how you did it, but somehow, the two of you have made me a different man. A _better _man. There is no way I'd ever miss the wedding of my sister and my best friend. If I'm not there, it means I died."

She giggled. "Well, I'm glad you'll be there."

"Trust me, I don't plan on missing it."

Once back inside the castle, Keith felt much better about himself and his life. Things were finally starting to head in the right direction after his dark fall. And for the first time since he'd earned the title, he felt that there might be a reason to retire the term _Captain Crankypants_.


	29. She Is

_Author's Note__: I don't know about the rest of you, but I am really happy with how these chapters are turning out. The characters and I have been working together, and no one has been harmed in the making of this book. For now, anyway._

_Thank you to everyone who's following along - I don't know what I'd do without you guys offering suggestions! And, as always, I own nothing except my characters._

_To Cha - Good to hear from you! I'm glad you liked the Keith-and-Chris scenario; it'll make things that much sweeter when Chris marries Jeff._

_To Emie Mac - Hold onto your hat, because if you think the bar scene with Sven and Aidan was hostile, the bachelor party is gonna make that look tame. And just because Keith's feeling better and happier, don't let that fool you into thinking that the notorious Crankypants is gone for good._

_To bknbu - Sven will make the trip to Earth a fascinating one, as well as cause some emotional drama when he gets to the Garrison. As for Keith and Christiane, they're in a good place right now, and it will get even better for the wedding._

_To Sally On - It will be interesting to see who Lenora chooses. Yes, Sven is The One, and she knows this, but she does love Jon very much. Hmm, the commander or the Viking? We're __all__ dying to find out! Thanks for the compliments and the correspondence; you know you're fantastic._

_To Wade Wells - As we discussed, your favorite king makes an appearance in this chapter. And wait 'til next chapter, when Keith finally decides to make things better with Allura. They may not kiss and make up right off the bat, but it'll happen, I promise! Thank you for being so wonderful!_

_**Title Song: "She Is" by The Fray**_

* * *

It was time to leave Arus. The Vehicle Voltron mecha, as well as the three Albegas mecha, were in proper storage in the stellar ship's hangar. Captain Newley watched as a somber crew boarded the Explorer. He had no idea that everyone would enjoy their short respite on Arus so much, especially since it hadn't been _that _long since they left Earth.

"I kinda hate to go," Tangor told Wolo as they boarded the ship. "This lake is so peaceful. I wouldn't mind spending a few more days relaxing by it."

"Same here," Zandee agreed, joining up with them on the gangplank. "It's not often we get nice pit stops like we did here."

It was easy enough for them to board the Explorer. They, along with Hutch, Marvin, Modoch, Crik, and Shannon, had no ties to Arus other than the fact that it was part of the planetary Alliance. They had no investments, no shared histories with the planet or its citizens.

It was different for the rest of the Vehicle Team.

"Hunk, it was really good to see you again," Rocky told his old Academy classmate, offering his arm for a handshake. "I haven't met another one like you since you left."

"Same here, Rock," Hunk replied sadly, shaking Rocky's hand with his free arm. The other arm was wrapped around Cinda, who looked just as distraught as she had on the day they all found out who was going to Arus in the first place. Spending a little quality time together had been great, but it made Cinda's departure that much worse.

Ginger felt the same way as her longtime friend. She and Lance gripped hands, both working hard to ensure that their faces didn't betray the feelings under the surface. The Red Lion pilot brought her hand to his lips for a kiss, then said, "Hey Gin, you'd better go say good-bye to the rest of the team."

She nodded, then moved towards Keith for a farewell hug. As the Voltron captain embraced his old floormate, Shannon stealthily crept up behind Lance. "You didn't think I'd let you get away without a warning, did you?" the Irishman hissed at him in a low voice. "That's a good woman you got there, Lance McClain. I'd better not hear any stories about you hurting my Cupcake. Because if you do, you'll have to answer to _me_."

"Calm down, Irish." Lance clutched the lighter in the pocket of his leather jacket. For some reason, gripping it always calmed him down. "I would never hurt Ginger. _Never_. She is..." His voice trailed off as he watched Ginger hug Pidge and Hunk good-bye. "She is everything to me."

"Good." Shannon still looked hurt, but he had his pride. He knew when he'd lost, and he wasn't about to make a fool out of himself by fighting for Ginger. She'd obviously made her choice, and he would abide by it. "I hope you mean it."

"I do." Lance glared at him. "Oh, and Shannon? If I ever hear you call my girl _Cupcake _again, I will personally pummel you into next week."

Chip and Pidge had been standing nearby, silently communicating as only twins could, until they witnessed the spectacle between the two pilots. "Aw, heck," Chip muttered, "they couldn't even hold out until we were gone? Cripes." He sighed. "I'm gonna miss you, Darrell."

"I know, Chip. I'll miss you too."

"Dedicate a song to me at your next Stereolactic concert, you hear?" he whispered.

Pidge laughed. "You got it."

"The poor twins," Jeff murmured, watching Chip say good-bye to his brother. He then turned to Keith. "It's been good to see you, my friend." He shook his old roommate's hand heartily, knowing that the next time they saw each other, it would be at his wedding.

"Not my friend." Keith shook his head emphatically. "My brother."

Half of Jeff's mouth curled up. "My brother," he corrected himself. "I do love her, you know. More than anything. She is my entire world."

"I know."

"Ah. My two boys." Christiane came up next to Jeff, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek. She then turned her attention to her brother. "Keith, this was...I don't know how to describe it, exactly. But I think it was exactly what we both needed."

Keith nodded, then opened his arms to embrace her.

"Remember what I told you, Akira-chan," she whispered. "Don't blow it with Allura. Make things right with her."

He nodded. "Things will be better by your wedding, Eiko-chan." He smiled. "Wow. My sister is getting married. Seven _hells_."

"There's an event I wouldn't miss for the world," Morgan chimed in, a hand on Jeff's shoulder. "We're aiming for three to four weeks, Keith. I hope you and Allura will make it. I mean, I _am _helping to plan it and everything." She shot her Amigo an evil grin.

"Of course we'll be there." Keith still had his arms around Christiane, and kissed her forehead before letting her go. "I'll see you then, Morgan."

He hadn't meant to hug her, but he did, tightly enough for him to realize that there might always be a spark or two between them. She hugged him back equally hard, hoping that he would heed his sister's advice and repair his relationship with the princess. She knew that Allura was a good woman, someone Keith desperately needed in his life. She was everything he needed.

When all of the good-byes were said and all of the hugs completed, the remainder of the Vehicle Team and Albegas crew loaded onto the Explorer. With a final handshake, Commander Hawkins followed the last of them up the gangplank. Sven was right by his side. Larmina swallowed worriedly as she watched them, thinking that nothing good could come out of the Space Marshal's loves being together in such close quarters.

Once the Explorer took off, Keith felt sad, but grateful that he'd had such tremendous opportunities. Having his sister back in his life felt better than he could imagine, and seeing his old Academy friends again made him realize how lucky he was to have family. Yes, he had flesh-and-blood family with his sister, and he and his Voltron teammates had formed their own tight-knit circle, but everything began with that family of fourteen on their dorm floor. And now his old roommate and best friend was marrying his sister, and having Jeff as a brother-in-law was better than anything he ever could have hoped for, for both himself and Christiane.

He and the rest of the team watched as the Explorer lifted into the sky, and they stayed there for a long time, watching the huge stellar ship disappear into the atmosphere. Lance looked distraught, and he unapologetically lit a cigarette as Ginger left him. Hunk looked just as crushed, having finally been happy doing his mechanical and engineering work with Cinda. Pidge was heartbroken at his twin brother leaving him yet again, and even Larmina looked a little sad as she realized that her last links to the Space Marshal were gone. It was a depressing scene, and Keith realized that he was looking forward to going to his sister's wedding, he was so eager to see them all again.

When the Explorer was finally out of sight and the Voltron Force retreated back to the castle, Keith knew where he needed to go, and what he needed to do.

* * *

Keith headed straight to the catacombs and the site of King Alfor's tomb. As he sunk to his knees in prayer, a smile curled onto his lips. Christiane had no idea who the anonymous man in her vision was, but he did. It was none other than Alfor himself.

He was still on his knees, deep in prayer and thought, his eyes closed, when he felt the deceased king's spirit descend upon him.

"You are lucky to have such a remarkable sister, Captain Kogane."

Keith opened his eyes and looked up at the floating apparition above him. "I am indeed, Your Majesty."

He was unsure if apparitions could smile, but if they could, Alfor was. "It is good to be in the presence of a seer. She is very loving and intuitive, and she cares for you a great deal. She also cares deeply for her soon-to-be husband, as he does for her."

"Thank you. I know that, but it doesn't hurt to hear you reinforce it."

"There is a reason I must reinforce those ideas." There was a hint of warning behind Alfor's words. "I understand that the seer has come to the correct conclusion that you and my daughter are made for each other. I believe it is about time that you realized that she is everything for you, Keith Akira Kogane."

Keith coughed. "I agree, Your Majesty."

There was that smile again. "Indeed, that is the best place to start. Farewell, my child, and good luck."

The captain stared at the deceased king's tomb for a long, long time. As he rose to his feet, he understood. If Allura was his everything, then there was only one way to set things to right. He headed back to the castle to find Allura, thinking about how Alfor had called him _my child._

* * *

"I _said, _Marvin, that there is no way your hand couldda had six aces!"

As Hutch began to pummel his partner in crime - actually, his partner in just about everything - Cliff sighed and shook his head. "I can't believe this," he muttered to Aidan, who watched the spectacle with interest. "It's not like we've been on this mission for that long. It hasn't even been a week since we left Earth."

"I don't know, Mate," Aidan offered. "They're entertaining me. I say, let 'em kill each other."

"Oh, Aidan, you _would _say that," Lisa admonished, coming up next to him. The Albegas captain wrapped his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. Cliff noted that Lisa looked much, _much _happier than she had when the Explorer lifted off. She also looked happier with Aidan than she ever had with Jeff. Maybe there really was something to their relationship. Maybe his former roommate was really _it _for the well-liked Sea Team member.

As Sven also moved next to Aidan - _without _any of the usual animosity leftover from their Academy days - Cliff came to the same realization as Keith, that all seven hells had indeed frozen over.

"Is this all you guys do on the Explorer?" Morgan asked Jeff as she watched Marvin narrowly dodge Hutch's fist. "Watch these two idiots fight?"

"And drink. Don't forget drink," Cliff added, motioning towards her Amigo. "Let's just say that over the past few days, Captain Aki here has been an exemplary model for the drinking that goes on aboard this ship."

"I _will _beat you, Clifford Jack," Jeff threatened jokingly. "And I don't care if your Mate is here with you. The two of you versus me and the Viking? Yeah, we'll see who wins out then."

Sven cleared his throat. "Break your teammates up, Cliff. Even if this is how they work off their frustration and boredom, it sets a bad example for the rest of the team." He then looked over at Jeff. "And did Lance manage to steal back his beanbag chair, or it still in your quarters?"

"Oh, I've still got it, don't worry." Jeff wrapped a protective arm around his fiancée. "Though I'd like to know how in seven hells he found out that I had it."

"That would be Rackens' fault," Taye cut in, his hand wrapped around a mug of Guinness Stout. "He's the one who blabbed."

"Bloody Brit." Jeff swiped Taye's beer and took a sip before returning it. "I have half a mind to go yell at him. Anybody know where he is? Morganza, did you lose track of your husband?"

Morgan sighed. "He's with his brother on the bridge. Why, were you expecting him to be anywhere else?"

Crik laughed. He was holding his own drink, some sort of bourbon substitute that Sammy had concocted with the rations, and he stared at Cinda as he replied. He knew how his fellow Miran felt about leaving Arus and especially Hunk, and his sixth sense told him to keep an eye on her. "Well, now it makes sense why the commander hasn't asked any of the three of us to join him on the bridge. He's got his brother there, why would he need _us_?"

As everyone else laughed, Sven stayed silent, wrapping his arms around his torso. _Just a little while longer, _he told himself, absently staring out into the common area. _Lenora is my everything. She is worth it._

He knew how his friends felt about the commander, and that did make him feel guilty. Had things been different, Sven was sure he would have liked the man, too. As it was, though, Commander Hawkins was the only thing standing between him and his _elskede_, and therefore he couldn't like him. He could only hope that the trip back to Earth was brief, and he didn't have to wait too much longer until he was alone with the Space Marshal.


	30. Fix You

_Author's Note__: I'm going away for my anniversary (three years!) this weekend, so I busted a move to get this chapter out. Actually, I didn't have to work too hard; this chapter just flowed. It's got a little something for everyone, so enjoy!_

_To Emie Mac (a.k.a. the new seer in this series): I adore Jon, and the more I write this story, the more I like him better than Sven. I know, I know. But I have no idea who Len's gonna pick - I'm just as excited as you are._

_To FroofyB: Your wish is granted! There's K/A in this chapter as well as scenes with our naughty Polluxian princess and the even naughtier prince from Tyvel!_

_To Sally On: Keith has had a lot of growing to do, but there's still one more hurdle. At least he's got Alfor's blessing! (And yes, voyage to hell indeed. Earth can't come soon enough!)_

_**Title Song: "Fix You" by Coldplay (one of my favorite songs)**_

* * *

Romelle rose from the bed. She'd been there for far too long; she wasn't even sure what day it was anymore. She only knew that there had been pleasure, and that pleasure had been given to her by Prince Erimar.

It had been a long, long time since she'd known such ecstasy. She knew that Sven loved her, but she had never felt with him what she felt with Erimar. The prince had worshiped her body, despite its flaws and the telltale scars she carried with her from pregnancy. He made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the universe.

She was in love with this man. Or maybe it was lust and obsession. Either way, she didn't care. She only knew that she was addicted to the way she felt when she was lying in bed with him.

"Hmm. I suppose you're right, Romy. People are bound to be suspicious by now. We've been missing for an awfully long time." He smiled a lopsided grin, one that matched how her heart felt at that very moment. "Tell me, do you feel bad? Do you regret this?"

"Do I feel bad? Yes," she answered quickly. "But do I regret it? Not in the slightest." She stared into his twinkling olive-green eyes, so different from Sven's angry slate-blue ones. "How could I? This is the most alive I've felt with a man since before I became pregnant."

The prince nodded. "Having met your husband, I can understand." He blew her a kiss from the bed as she began to get dressed. "You can fix your situation, Romy. You can make all of your problems go away with a few simple words to your husband: _I want to end our marriage."_

She sighed, zipping up the back of her short dress. In all honesty, she really did feel like uttering those words to Sven, on a regular - if not _daily _- basis. If it weren't for Erik, she was sure that she would have already divorced him.

"My son needs his father," she told her lover with a distraught look on her face. "I can't leave Sven, no matter how much I might want to. I've lost Erik once because of my husband, and I refuse to lose him again. But at the same time, I can't rob him of his father, either." She sat back down on the bed, and Erimar took her hand and grazed his lips against it. "It's a tough situation I'm in. My child's welfare or my happiness."

"Love, don't you think that your happiness _is _in Erik's best interests? Surely you realize that your son will grow up to resent you and Sven if you remain unhappily married for his sake. Don't you?"

Romelle wanted to throw up. She was torn - she wanted so much to be happy, and the only way to do that would be to leave Sven and go with Erimar. That being said, she would never be able to shake off the guilt she would feel for taking his son away from him, nor would she allow Sven to have full custody of Erik after everything they'd been through in the past year. It was an impossibly broken situation with no easy way out and no good way to fix it.

"I don't know, Erim. I don't know what to do."

She looked at him helplessly, and the prince leaned forward and kissed her lips. "There's time, Romy," he told her. "Your husband's not back yet, and I'll stay until he returns. You still have time to think." He winked at her. "But you should get back to your son and your brother now. I'm sure everyone's looking for you, and you don't want to make it too obvious."

"You're right. I will see you at dinner."

Romelle crept out of his room and closed the door behind her, her body overflowing with new, confusing emotions. She just wanted to be happy, but it seemed as though happiness was always just out of reach. Sadly, she wondered if it would ever be within her grasp.

* * *

Taye's mug of Guinness was empty. He knew that hard alcohol was more or less contraband on the Explorer, but beer was okay, albeit in smaller quantities than what was available at the Garrison. Regardless, he didn't want to seem greedy and use up the ship's stores. He returned his mug and scanned the room for Cinda.

When he began dating Kelly, he learned to accept a few things about her. One, she had a group of friends she considered to be her family from her dorm floor during her stint at the Academy. Two, her best friends in the world were her old roommate Cinda and her old BALL201 dance partner, Cliff. And three, she had a very regretful ex-boyfriend in Modoch.

He spotted Cinda near a window away from the masses. Ginger was with her, looking positively distraught, and the blue-skinned beauty didn't look much better. It was as though they were both trying to comfort each other and failing monumentally at it. Feeling sorry for them, he started in their direction to see if he could offer comfort or sympathy.

"No you don't."

Taye felt a broad, heavy hand gripping his shoulder, powerful enough to stop him in his tracks, and he immediately knew who it was. There was only one person would try to hold him back. Correction: would be stupid enough to hold him back. He sighed. "What do you _want_, Chukker?"

Modoch grimaced. The so-called gentle giant wasn't used to being addressed by his last name, especially not when there was so much hostility attached to it. "Relax, Benton. I just wanted to know how Kelly is doing. That's all."

Taye shrugged. "Why do you care?"

"It's not like I could get a word in edgewise with her the last time I saw her."

"You mean, at the commander's wedding to the Space Marshal? Geez, I can't think of a reason why she wouldn't want to talk to you or dance with you." His sarcasm was abundant. "She's living with me now, in case you wanted to know."

Modoch looked terribly sad for a moment. "Is she happy?" he asked softly, his voice laced with regret.

"Incredibly." Taye wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible.

The gentle giant looked down at the floor. "I messed up, I really did." When he looked up at the Albegas pilot again, he asked pathetically, "Will you tell her I was asking for her?"

Taye rolled his eyes. "Sure thing." Then he headed away from Modoch and towards Cinda and Ginger. He wasn't sure what comfort he could offer them now, but he knew that anything had to be better than listening to Kelly's ex-boyfriend cry over how he regretted cheating on her.

He suddenly wished he had more Guinness. Then again, if he did, he might have punched the big guy.

* * *

Keith felt much better after his time in the catacombs. He felt as though King Alfor had personally given him his blessing to be with his daughter, and after Christiane's repeated comments and warnings not to blow it with Allura, he decided he'd better start to patch things up now.

When he knocked on Allura's door, he didn't know where he should start. What was left for him to say to her? Would she even listen? Then again, he knew that his sister had spoken with Allura as well. Maybe now his girlfriend's outlook had softened. Maybe they could be on the path to forgiveness.

Then again, maybe not.

After a moment of anxious contemplation, Allura answered the door. She studied Keith quietly, looking as though she was searching for the right words to say.

"The last time we were here," he offered lightly, "you closed the door in my face."

She didn't laugh, but he could see the smile behind her emerald eyes. "I remember," she replied, looking everywhere but into his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

She then looked at him seriously. "Keith, I want you to know that I can't fix you. You're broken, and I can't fix you." She shook her head for emphasis.

"No." Panic racing through his veins, he grabbed Allura's face and kissed her. He was rough, he was frantic, and he was desperate. "I won't deny that I'm a broken man. But I'm starting to put the pieces together myself." His face was less than an inch away from hers. "Allura, I know you can't fix me, and I can't put that burden on you. _I _have to fix me. And I think I'm on the right path this time."

The princess looked as though an invisible weight had lifted off of her. She wrapped her arms around her boyfriend, collapsing onto his shoulder. "Welcome back," she mumbled, placing soft kisses along his neck. "I've missed you, Keith."

"I've missed you too, Allura. More than you can ever know."

She nodded quietly. "I have things I need to take care of right now. Executive things." She shot him a sultry look. "You can come back to my room tonight. And maybe when things lighten up a little bit, we can get away from the castle. How would you feel about that?"

He kissed her hand. "Your choice, Allura. We can go anywhere. I'm happy as long as I'm with you."

She smiled. "Good. So I'll see you later tonight?"

He nodded eagerly. "Of course. See you then."

Allura watched as Keith wandered back down the hallway. Once he was out of sight, she smiled to herself. Yes, she was happy to be mending her relationship with him. But if he thought that he was going to get off that easily after everything he'd put her through, well, he had another thing coming. She had one more test in store for him.

* * *

When Commander Hawkins and David Rackens returned to the common area, Sven paid attention. Though he hated to pay the commander any heed, he knew that his most direct line to the Space Marshal was through him. He would have to deal with her husband until he saw her in person.

The commander looked over at the Norwegian. "Sargeant Holgersson," he stated, "I would like to have a word with you. In private."

Aidan, Lisa, and Morgan immediately shot Sven a look, but he seemed unshaken. "Of course, Commander," he replied, unflinching. He lifted himself off the wall he had been leaning against - technically, he'd been leaning against the bar in the common area - and walked towards the pair of would-be brothers.

David eyed the navigator suspiciously but said nothing, instead moving back towards his captain and his wife. "I'll talk with you later, Jon," he offered, trying not to glare as he passed by Sven. He knew some stories about this man and Lenora, but he would not say anything, at least not without Morgan's prompting. He knew how Jon felt towards his wife, and he really didn't want to witness any bloodshed on the Explorer.

Silently, Commander Hawkins led Sven back towards the bridge. At least, that was the path they took. Sven was surprised when the man stopped and entered a code into a key panel mere steps outside the bridge. "My personal chambers," Hawkins informed him. "Please come in."

Sven raised an eyebrow but said nothing; the past few days had gotten weirder and more disturbing as they went along. The door slid open, and he filed in.

He was surprised at how nice the commander's personal quarters were. It looked like an old-fashioned study with its full mahogany bookcases, leather chairs and heavy desk. "Sven. May I call you Sven?"

"Of course."

"Please have a seat."

Cautiously, he sat down in one of the leather chairs as Hawkins moved towards one of the mahogany bookcases. "I have my own personal stash in here," the commander grinned as he revealed his hidden liquor cabinet. "I thought I'd offer you a drink. A _real _drink, not beer or that God-awful synthetic stuff that Sammy mixes up. It's the least I could do for you after rescuing Christiane off Crydor."

Sven nodded. This was definitely getting more disturbing. If anyone had ever told him he'd be doing one-on-one drinking with both Aidan _and _Commander Hawkins in such a short time frame, he wouldn't have believed it. "What do you have in there?"

"The better question is, what _don't _I have in here?"

"I like that in a man, Commander Hawkins. Do you have Ciroc?"

"Tonic water, too."

"Now you're talking."

Hawkins chuckled as he removed the bottles. He chose a Riedel tumbler from another cabinet - _He has a liquor cabinet __and__ a glassware cabinet in here_, Sven thought incredulously - and mixed the drink for his guest.

"I'm sorry I don't have any fresh lime," Hawkins apologized, handing him the drink. "That tends to be hard to come by on the Explorer."

"I can imagine." Sven accepted the drink and took a sip. He was immediately transported back to his fifth year at the Academy, drinking overpriced vodka tonics with his friends in bars that were too loud. He'd missed Ciroc. He'd missed a _lot _of things since leaving Earth. "So, Commander, am I drinking alone here, or what?"

"Jon. Please call me Jon. Anyone who rescues one of mine is my friend." Hawkins moved back to the liquor cabinet and opened a bottle of Courvoisier. As he poured his own drink, he continued, "I am extremely fond of Christiane. Not only is she Jeff's girl, but she's my family, too, in a way."

"I understand."

"I lost my entire family by the age of thirty-three. I was alone until I got married, and then all of a sudden, I had this crazy extended family." He grinned fondly. "I love having family again, and Christiane's part of it. The problem is, I can't watch over her the way I can some of the others, like Jeff, Cliff, Ginger, Cinda and Lisa."

"I see." Sven sipped again from his drink, feeling the Ciroc rush through his bloodstream better than any Arusian vodka could. The anger began to creep up on him again as he thought about this man regarding Lenora's friends as his family. These people were _his _family, not the commander's.

Desperately needing a distraction, he looked towards the commander's desk. It was completely uncluttered, with nothing on it except for a small framed photo. "Jon, you have the cleanest desk in the world."

"I don't, actually. Everything's crammed into the drawers. Who am I kidding?" He laughed to himself, then picked the photo up from off his desk. "I hate to sound like the guy who's obsessed with his wife, but I like to be able to get an unfettered look at her picture when we're separated, and I can't do that if my desk is covered in paperwork."

"May I see?"

"Of course." Hawkins picked up the photo and passed it over.

As soon as it was in his hands, Sven wished he hadn't seen it. He knew it was of Lenora, and he had seen a couple of their wedding photos filtered through Larmina and Lance, but he hadn't expected the picture to take his breath away they way it did.

The photo was just of her, dressed in her cream-colored wedding gown. It was taken from the back, with her looking over her shoulder at the camera while the organza ruffles spilled onto the grass behind her. She had a seductive look on her face, not the demure bridal look that Romelle had displayed on their wedding day. He was stunned that a bride could look that provocative. She had obviously been a naughty bride.

She should have been _his _naughty bride.

"She is...beautiful," he sputtered, handing the photo back. Hawkins looked pleased at the comment, and stared at the photo again before placing it back on his desk. "Really beautiful. You're a lucky man, Jon."

_Just wait until I get her alone and talk some sense into her._

"That I am," Hawkins replied. He lifted his drink to his lips and took a long swallow. "I often wonder how much longer I can do this. Serving on the Explorer has been an incredible experience, and I'm grateful for the opportunity, but now I just want to be home." He paused. "I know that a lot of my crew members feel the same way."

Sven nodded. "I can imagine." As he tried to feign sympathy for the commander, he could only feel an odd mix of guilt and anger. He liked this man, and he could understand exactly why he'd want to be home with Lenora in New York instead of touring the galaxy on the Stellar Ship Explorer.

He had to fix this mess. And he knew exactly how he was going to do it.


	31. Lovesong

_Author's Note__: Even though I had a lovely weekend away (and thank you to everyone who wished me a happy anniversary!), this chapter demanded to be finished. I began some of the segments four months ago, and they told me it had been long enough! So this was very easy and quick to write; most of the work had been done already._

_As per usual, I own nothing except my characters._

_To Sally On - EVERYBODY is concerned about Sven. He's got so much going on here, with a wife, a kid, and an ex-fiancée. It all depends on whether or not Lenora picks him over Jon...__and__ if Romelle picks him over Erimar._

_To bknbu - In Romelle's case, she would be taking Erik away from Sven if they divorced. Because she has already made it clear that Sven would not be allowed on Pollux if they divorce, she has essentially decided that Erik won't see much of his daddy. Not a pretty situation for anyone involved, whether they stay together or leave each other._

_To FroofyB - I'm a nail biter too, and these chapters have made me a wreck! Len, Sven, Romelle, Jon...what are they all gonna do?_

_To Wade Wells - Grumpypants? ;) I love you, babe. The good stuff is coming, I promise._

_**Title Song: The Cure's "Lovesong" cover by 311**_

* * *

_It was the first cool fall Friday since school began. Mid-term exams were right around the corner; they began on Monday, which meant that the entire school would be buckling down to study over the weekend. Sven was only worried about NAV101 and HIST101 - navigation because it was the field he'd chosen to specialize in, and history because he hated it and had no idea how he would ever remember dates and names._

_The only good thing about history class was that Lenora was in it. He hadn't said anything to her, but he was crazy about the black-lipped systems analyst. He had to pinch himself when she sat down next to him on the first day of class, muttering something about how lucky she was that somebody else from her floor was in her class. They were built-in study buddies. Problem was, he wanted her to understand that they should be __more__ than study buddies. They would be good together._

"_Ask her out, dummy," Lance scolded him when he first confessed his feelings. But Sven was shy, and he definitely didn't have the confidence that Lance, Cliff, and Aidan had with the ladies. So he stood back, content for the time being to enjoy her company as they studied the history of the planetary alliance together, hoping that she'd come to her senses about him._

_Lenora was already in the classroom when he walked through the doorway. The seat next to her - __his__ seat - was temporarily occupied. Andrew, one of their classmates who lived on the fourth floor of their building, was in his spot, and Sven strained to hear what they were talking about._

"_...so if he's __not__ your boyfriend, I'd like to take you out for pizza tonight," Andrew was saying. "We could study afterwards, if you want."_

_She shrugged. "No, he's not my boyfriend. We just spend a lot of time together 'cuz we live on the same floor. So yeah, I guess pizza's okay. What time do you wanna go?"_

_Sven clenched his teeth together as Andrew replied, "How about six? I'll come down to your floor and get you, and we'll go from there."_

"_Sure. Sounds good."_

_Narrowing his slate-blue eyes, the Norwegian stood over his desk, looking down at the both of them. "You're in my seat," he huffed to Andrew, the glare in his eyes enough to scare the poor guy away. But it wasn't enough to scare Lenora. She stared up at him defiantly, almost as if she was challenging him, but she said nothing as he sat down next to her._

_Throughout the entire class, all Sven could think about was the fact that Andrew had asked her out on a date. The girl he was crazy about was going out on a date with another guy, all because he was too shy to say something and hadn't acted quickly enough. He decided he would have to remedy the situation after class, when they were walking back to the dorm. _

_History seemed to take forever, and when class was finally dismissed, Lenora darted up out of her chair, her messenger bag already around her shoulder. He jumped up after her, shooting a deadly look over at Andrew as he did, in an effort to catch up with her. She knew. She knew how annoyed he was at himself and at Andrew, and she probably thought he was annoyed with her, too. Which he could never be._

_As he darted after her, he could hear his roommate's voice in his head. "Man, you really like that girl," Lance enjoyed teasing him. "She makes you do stupid things."_

_Lance was right. This girl really did make him do stupid things._

_She was quick. By the time he'd made it out of the building, she was nearly halfway across the quad, her messenger bag angrily bouncing along the side of her body. Cursing himself, he darted along the grass. He couldn't let her return to the dorm without him. If she did, he never would have had the chance to tell her how he felt._

_When she was within reach, he grabbed her bag. "Len! Would you please stop?"_

_She whipped around, glaring at him in a mix of anger and disbelief. "What?" she asked incredulously. "What do you want outta my life, Holgersson? Yeah, I'm going on a date with Andrew tonight. So WHAT?" She screamed the last word loud enough for it to be heard across the quad._

_He clamped down his hand on her shoulder, more forcefully than he expected to. "Don't go out with him."_

"_And why not?" Her face was flushed with anger and frustration. "Give me one good reason."_

"_Because you don't really want to go out with him." When he said the words, he truly believed them. Sven felt something special for Lenora, something that transcended common lust or anything else the average sixteen-year-old boy might feel, and somehow he just knew that she felt the same way for him. "You want to go out with __me__. You're using him to get back at me for not asking you out."_

"_You are the most arrogant jerk I have ever met." She stared at him indignantly for a moment before shaking his hand off her shoulder and moving away. Unfortunately, her ankle gave way underneath her as she turned, and she fell to the ground in embarrassment._

_Instead of laughing at her, Sven extended his arm. "Let me help you up, Elskede."_

"_Huh? What did you just call me?" Forgetting her annoyance for the moment, she accepted his hand and let him help her off the ground. "Ow. Friggin' ankle." She bent over to rub the ankle that had given out on her._

"_Are you all right?"_

"_Sure," she grimaced. "As good as the day I came off the press." She dusted her cadet uniform off. "It's 'cuz I'm in these boots and not my heels. I walk better in heels 'cuz I'm so short."_

_He tilted his head sideways for a moment, examining her unnervingly with his slate-blue eyes. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he lifted her up and began to carry her back to the dorm. A time like this called for drastic measures._

_She was too embarrassed to be shocked. "Hey! HEY! Put me DOWN, Holgersson!" She wanted to pummel him, but she was afraid he'd drop her if she did, and he was tall, so it was a long way to the ground. _

"_Will you relax already?" he said to her. "I'm not putting you down until we're in the building, so quit fighting me."_

"_Fine." She accepted her humiliation and pulled her messenger bag up to cover her face. She didn't want anyone to see her being carried back to the dorm, especially not Aidan or Morgan. She'd never hear the end of it._

_Though she wasn't looking, she could tell just by the amount of time it was taking that he was going to the building's rear entrance - the one that mainly served as a fire escape. She was surprised about what she was feeling. She'd been an emotional black hole for two years, since the night her father was gunned down. She hadn't even been excited about getting pizza with Andrew. But Sven? This guy made her feel emotions again, anger and humiliation and indignation and..._

_Something else._

_She heard the door open, and he put her down on the first step of the staircase. "There you go, Elskede. How's your ankle?"_

"_It's okay." From her spot on the first step, they were almost the same height. "What did you call me?"_

"_Elskede."_

"_What's it mean?"_

_He jammed his hands in the pockets of his cadet uniform and looked down. "It means 'Beloved' in Norwegian."_

_Her heart, which she'd closed off to feeling anything once her father was in the ground, began to swell a little. She didn't want it to, but there was something so sincere about this guy that she couldn't help it. "Why me, Holgersson?" she asked him softly. "What is it about me in particular? I'm no good for anyone. The people who love me all end up hurt - or worse."_

_He shrugged. "I don't know what it is about you. I just feel like there's something about you, and I'd be stupid if I let you get away. So no, you can't go on that date with Andrew tonight. I'm not denying you permission, I'm just saying that it's not fair for you to hurt him."_

_She scowled again. They were right back to where they left off. "That's not up for you to decide. And besides, a girl's gotta eat." She tried to turn to go up the stairs, but he grabbed her wrist and held her fast. _

_From behind her, he whispered into her ear, "Why do you want to hurt __him__ just to hurt __me__? Spare everyone the drama and the hurt feelings. Stay in with me tonight. We'll study, we'll get pizza...I'll even kick Lance out of the room."_

_If she could have melted into his arms, she would have. Turning back to face him, Lenora wrapped her arms tightly around Sven's neck, and felt even better when he clasped his hands around her waist. This wasn't supposed to happen, but apparently, it was going to happen whether she liked it or not._

_It had been a long time since she'd let herself feel anything at all._

* * *

"Touchdown to Earth in an hour," Sparks announced to the bridge.

Captain Newley had temporarily taken command of the Explorer in the absence of Commander Hawkins. Rich understood how hard his friend had taken Christiane's abduction, and his need for a few moments to gather himself, as well as thank the man who had rescued the girl off of Crydor.

Jon had always been an astounding commander. He'd taken care of his crew members, whether they piloted a Voltron mecha or not. In the case of a lost crew member, he would take it upon himself to pen the note towards the deceased person's family, offering his own anecdotes, insight, and thanks. The fact that a member of his "family" could have been harmed was weighing on his conscience, as though he took full blame and responsibility for the fact she'd been kidnapped. Never mind the fact that it was not his fault and there was nothing he could have done to prevent it; he still held himself responsible.

"That's good, Tech Sargeant," Newley replied. "I'll let the commander know."

The captain rose from his seat and exited the bridge, knowing exactly where to find his friend. Rich had never begrudged Jon his status or the perks that went with it. The fact that the commander's personal quarters on the ship were better than the captain's own apartment in New York never bothered him.

Once outside his friend's personal quarters, he knocked.

After a moment, Jon opened the door, looking pleased. "Rich, get in here," he offered, in a very good mood. "I've got Sven in here, too. Please have a drink with us."

Alcohol was not exactly contraband on the Explorer, but it was limited and tracked, so more often than not the crew of the stellar ship was drunk on some alcohol substitute that Sammy had concocted from the rations. Or, in Jeff's case, on some decidedly contraband absinthe. "Well, I originally came here to inform you that the Explorer will be docking on Earth in an hour. But if you've got your legendary liquor cabinet open, Jon, then I'm all in."

"Good news on all counts." He held the door open enough for Rich to enter the room. Sven was seated on one of the leather chairs, holding his second vodka tonic in his hand; the captain chose to sit down next to him. "What can I get you to drink?"

"Whatever he's drinking." Rich pointed to Sven.

"Ciroc and tonic it is." Jon moved back towards the liquor cabinet to mix the drink for his friend. Sven, meanwhile, looked over at the captain, feeling reality hit him. There he was, drinking with both the captain and commander of the S.S. Explorer, plotting a way to get the commander's wife to leave him.

"Good call, Sargeant." Rich clapped Sven on the shoulder. "I like the way you think."

Sven couldn't help thinking that, no, if either one of them knew what was running through his head, they wouldn't like it at all.

* * *

Lisa excused herself to go check on Ginger, Cinda, and Taye. "It looks like the three of them are having a pity party over in the corner," she noted to Aidan. She momentarily left her boyfriend against the bar in the common area, hanging back with Cliff, Jeff, Christiane, Morgan, and David.

Seizing the opportunity, Aidan looked over at Cliff. "Mate, I need to talk to you for a second."

"Sure thing." He shot a look at Jeff. "I'll be right back."

"Make sure you get a move on, boys," Morgan warned them. "The Explorer's docking in about an hour. Whatever illegal or immoral thing you're planning on doing, do it quick."

Aidan rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Feld."

The Land Team captain led his old roommate out of the common area and into the hallway. They walked for a moment, long enough to put a respectable amount of distance away from their friends and teammates. "Okay, what's bugging you, Mate?" Cliff finally asked. "I've known you long enough to know when something's bothering you."

"He isn't getting Chris a diamond." Aidan looked out the window. Earth was a beautiful planet, and it grew larger and larger as they approached it for a landing. "Jeff may be our brother, but Chris is one of my crew. And he's not getting her a diamond."

Cliff laughed. "_That's _what's bugging you, Mate? Are you serious? You dragged me away from everyone to complain that Christiane's not getting an engagement ring? You sound like a girl right now."

"Shut up, Jack."

"Oh, come on, Aidan. It's just a piece of jewelry. If you feel so strongly about it, why don't _you _get the ring for her?" Examining the expression on his friend's face, Cliff stopped in his tracks. "Oh my God, Mate. Are you really gonna do what I think you're gonna do?"

"Just answer me one question, Mate." Aidan was uncharacteristically serious. "The likelihood of you, me, and Jeff getting a three-bedroom apartment in downtown Manhattan together is pretty much nil, right?"

Cliff nodded. "More than a year ago, I would've bet money on the three of us rooming together. Now, though, with Voltron and Albegas, you with Lisa, Jeff marrying Christiane...it doesn't look like there'll be a swinging bachelor pad in the future for any of us."

Aidan shook his head. "No. It's time. It's time for me to clean out my closet."

The Australian clapped his best mate on the back. "You're growing up, Dalloway. Being captain of Albegas has made you a better man."

"Hey now. Just because I grew up, don't think I'm not still fun. I am still the coolest dude you know and the best mate you'll ever have."

Cliff laughed. "I never had any doubt, Mate. I never had any doubt."

* * *

When the Explorer finally landed in New York, there was a crowd of people waiting to greet them. The teams exited the ship, with Commander Hawkins traversing down the gangplank first, ignoring everyone around him and heading directly towards the Space Marshal. Jealousy and rage shot through the Norwegian in equal amounts as he watched Lenora tilt her head upwards to kiss him. There was nothing so irritating as watching his _elskede _kiss another man, particularly since she was married to that man and there was nothing he could do about it. Sven wasn't sure of many things in life, but he _was _sure that whichever of David Rackens' seven hells was the worst, he was in it right now.

Aidan leaned over and whispered to him, "Yeah. Get used to it."

"We come bearing a hero," the commander informed his wife. "Sven Holgersson, the man who came to the aid of our Christiane."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Sven? Really?" She knew she should be shocked, but for some reason, she wasn't. She knew that no matter what happened, her old fiancé would still do anything she asked of him.

"Yes." He squeezed her hand. "He pulled her off Crydor. Christiane would have died if he hadn't gotten there. She never would have made it through the night in the arctic temperatures without his help."

"Then we'll take care of him. I'll book him a hotel room, maybe make dinner arrangements. Anyone who rescues one of mine will be properly rewarded. Where is he so I can thank him personally?"

He turned to point Sven out, but he hadn't really needed to. Lenora would have known Sven anywhere. She approached him, pacing herself so she wouldn't just rush into him, and took his hands in hers. As she did, she noticed that he looked down at their clasped hands, probably wishing to see their platinum wedding bands.

"Sargeant Holgersson," she said finally, almost in a declaration ceremony for the onlookers, "the Galaxy Alliance is deeply indebted to you for the rescue of our Albegas crew member, Christiane Kogane. We cannot thank you enough for your brave actions."

"Space Marshal," he choked out in reply, "I was only doing my duty as a member of the Voltron Force."

It was then that she threw her arms around him.

He felt currents of electricity run through his body as he embraced his _elskede_. She turned her face into his neck, and he felt her breath on his skin. He wanted the earth to open up and swallow them both. "Sven," she whispered, making sure her lips were covered by her raised arms, _"Jeg elsker deg fortsatt, og Jeg vil alltid."_

"This is bad," Morgan whispered to Aidan.

"I think it's kinda funny," the Albegas captain replied. Lisa, her dark eyes wide, smacked him in the arm.

Across the crowd, Morgan could see Kelly's eyes, round and shining, as she watched the spectacle herself. Then, filled with relief, she watched as the First Officer marched up to the old flames, insistently tapping the Space Marshal on the shoulder. "Ahem," she cleared her throat forcefully. "Sargeant Holgersson, it's good to see you again. It's been a long time."

Lenora ducked out of her old lover's arms and stood by Kelly's side. Sven could have lashed out at their old floormate for interrupting their moment, but he knew how the fallout would interfere with his plans. "Kelly Asimov," he murmured instead, drinking in the sight of her. He could now understand why Modoch couldn't move beyond his relationship with her; she looked far better than she ever had during their Academy days. "It's good to see you, too."

"It's _First Officer _Asimov now," she corrected him with a chill in her voice. Then, turning her head to Lenora, she asked, "Have you seen Christiane?"

"No." She looked back at Sven. "Where is she?"

"Here! I'm here!" Christiane bounded away from Jeff and the rest of her teammates and darted towards the Space Marshal. Lenora embraced her, rocking back and forth, and suddenly communicating as only two female systems analysts could. To the onlookers, it was much like watching Pidge and Chip converse. Then, she cried out, "We're getting married, Len!"

Her cheeks hurt from smiling. "I know! I'm so excited! Morgan and I will start planning your wedding immediately, don't you worry about that."

Sven was not pleased about his moment with his _elskede _being interrupted, and he was even less pleased when the commander came over to claim his wife. Sven noticed the glint in her chocolate-brown eyes as she reached for her husband's hand, and it made him want to scream. No. She could _not _be in love with Jon Hawkins. She was in love with _him_. He was The One.

"Come with me, Sven," Kelly said pointedly. "We're putting you up in a hotel room for the night."

As the First Officer dragged him away from his friends and, worse, from his _elskede_, the only way Sven could keep himself calm was by rehashing his plan in his head, over and over until it made him want to lay down and sleep.

* * *

_**Jeg elsker deg fortsatt, og Jeg vil alltid**__: "I still love you, and I always will."_


	32. You Could Be Happy

_Author's Note__: Although I normally use real-life locations, I didn't feel like my personal favorite hotel chain has the same timeless quality of the Ritz or the Four Seasons. Though I'm not naming it in the story (unlike places I frequently mention, such as Magnolia Bakery, Per Se, Russian Tea Room, etc.), Sven's hotel room is based on the Spa Suite in NYC's Muse Hotel. FYI: this is the hotel room that the Garrison books for all of its important guests, so expect to see it again soon._

_To Emie Mac - Thanks for the love, Babe. And yes, I hope it works out for Sven in the end, too. Just b/c I love Hawkins doesn't mean I don't love the Viking too._

_To Sally On - Why yes, Aidan __does__ happen to have an engagement ring floating around in the back of his closet. And as everything comes together...wow. The suspense is killing me & I can't wait to get there!_

_To Craze - Good to hear from you! And you just summed it all up; it IS kinda arrogant for Sven to think that Lenora's just gonna leave her husband, isn't it?_

_To bknbu - I, too, adore Aidan. I always said he was my favorite. ;)_

_To Wade Wells - Grumpypants returns! You make me laugh. All I can say is, Lenora's not stupid. That's all I'm gonna say. :D_

_**Title Song: "You Could Be Happy" by Snow Patrol**_

* * *

When he woke up the following morning, it took him a moment to remember where he was. Sunlight was filtering into the hotel room, which was decorated in black, white, grey, and slate blue. He thought for a moment, as his eyes fluttered open, that there had never been a room that better matched his appearance in his entire life.

Then there was the hot tub. He definitely didn't have one of those on Pollux.

He thought back to yesterday. Everything rushed by in a blur after the Explorer landed. He remembered being greeted and thanked by the Space Marshal. He remembered embracing her, and how she told him in his native language that she loved him and would always love him. Then he remembered Kelly by his side, taking care of everything for him while Jon Hawkins led Lenora away.

He was too upset to remember anything after that. Seeing their fingers entwined had nearly killed him.

Otherwise, it felt good to be back in New York. He'd forgotten how the city never slept. He'd forgotten about the frantic pace, the bustle of activity. For the first time in eleven years, he felt like he was home.

He ran the hot water in the shower. The suite he was in was large and luxurious, and he was grateful for it. As she showered, he thought about his plan. He would call and make reservations for two sometime in the evening at the Russian Tea Room. He would meet Lenora there. They would drink, they would talk. He would convince her to leave her husband for him. Once she agreed, he would contact Pollux and tell Romelle that their marriage was over, and he would ask for full custody of Erik. He knew his wife wouldn't give up their son without a full-on war, but he was prepared to fight. His happiness was worth it.

Sven was tired of being unhappy. All he wanted was his son and his _elskede_. Anything after that was unimportant. He didn't care where he lived. He didn't care what else he did with his life. If he had Erik and Lenora, that was all he would ever need. It was the only way he could be happy.

He thought about his plan as he stepped into the shower and let the hot water rush over his body. Everything would fall into place. Lenora would be his again, the way he needed her to be. He could sort out all of the other details later.

* * *

"Mmm," she purred, wrapping her just-showered body around her husband. "I know you haven't been gone that long, but I've missed you." The skin-to-skin contact felt delicious. Lenora closed her eyes and laid her head against Jon's bare chest.

"I know. I've missed you too." He kissed her forehead. "I won't lie, I spent a good chunk of time thinking how hard it was to leave. I was lucky that I had family and friends with me. By the way, that little cadet misses you terribly, so we had something in common."

"My Mina. I miss her too."

The commander exhaled, happy to be back in his bed with his wife in his arms. "I was really worried about Christiane for a while," he murmured, closing his eyes. "I'm so glad everything worked out."

"Thank God."

He stretched, deciding to change the topic before it grew too morbid. "When is the Explorer taking off again, Space Marshal?"

"I wanted to talk to you about that." Lenora planted a long kiss on his lips before answering. "I'm grounding the Explorer for now. You'll forego this mission entirely, and take off for the next one as scheduled. I figured I would let Jeff and Chris spend some time together as newlyweds before he went back on the Explorer." She paused. "I know what that's like, watching your new husband take off on a stellar ship for eight weeks."

"And Jeff's about to learn what it feels like to take off on a stellar ship for eight weeks, and leave his new wife behind. I know too well what _that's _like." He drew her in more tightly. "Rich has been talking to me about retiring."

"That doesn't surprise me. Out of everyone here, he's your best friend, Jon. He knows how miserable you are when you leave me." She blinked. "Not that I'm any less miserable, of course. I would love it if you retired. Then I could come home to you every night."

"I know." He exhaled, letting the weight of the dilemma hang over him. He didn't have to choose now; that was the beauty of his decision. "So, what do you have in store for today?"

"I'm not even going in today." Lenora shook her head. "I'll be in the hangar all day with the team I originally hired to fix up Albegas. We'll figure out what's wrong with Red, and then reinforce Black and Blue so that it doesn't happen to them, too. Kelly has high command in my absence." She yawned. "What about you?"

"I'm chaperoning the soon-to-be married couple." Jon stretched his arms overhead again. He hadn't realized how much he missed sleeping. "Morgan's teaching Advanced Navigation today, so I told her I'd help out with the wedding planning. Jeff, Chris and I will be going to Per Se sometime today to pick out the catering menu. We're also going to City Hall to pick up a marriage license and choose a justice of the peace to perform the ceremony."

"You're wonderful, you really are." She kissed him again before lifting herself off the bed. "Well, I've gotta get to the hangar. I'll see you later, okay?"

He nodded. "Good luck. I love you, Lenora."

"I love you more, Jon." She slid into a pair of old jeans and a plain black T-shirt, with old Doc Martens she'd bought when she was still dating Aidan. He'd convinced her that with all the systems analysis and hangar work she did, it would be good to own a pair of shoes she could beat up. He had definitely been right about that.

As she slid out the front door, she thought how funny it was that she had done nothing but think about Sven since she left Arus, but now that he was on Earth, he had hardly even crossed her mind. She still loved him, of course, and she always would. She would always wish that things had turned out differently for them. But it hadn't, and she had come to accept - and _enjoy _- her life as it was now. She hoped he had, too.

* * *

Black coffee. Perimeter scan. Waking up with Allura.

Life was good again.

Keith was happy. He was finally getting back to the place he was at before the kidnapping fiasco occurred. But it was an even better place now, because now he was repairing his old relationships and reinforcing the ones he held near and dear. It was like the "before" times, only improved.

The screen shifted to the main balcony. Again, Larmina was out there, practicing her early-morning yoga routine on Lenora's mat. Watching the cadet's usual routine deepened his relief. It made Keith believe that things were really on their way up.

"Well. No surprise that you're up."

Lance stood in the doorway, his customary mug of cream-and-sugar-laced coffee in hand. He stared at the screen for a moment, vaguely interested, then joined his friend by the computer. "What?" Keith teased him. "No comments about me being Captain Crankypants? And no leering at Larmina in down dog?"

The Red Lion pilot shrugged. "I'm whipped," he answered confidently. "There's only one girl for me. Always has been, always will be." He took a sip of his coffee. "All that time when I was acting like a ladies' man, I was really trying to move past Ginger."

"Seven hells." Keith slugged back his own coffee. "I never thought I would see the day when the great Lance Charles McClain told me that he only wanted one girl."

"Shut up, Crankypants."

"Ah, _there's _the Crankypants reference. But nobody's cranky around here, except maybe you." The captain shot his second-in-command a ridiculously exaggerated smirk. "I think _I'm _finally learning how to be happy."

"Yeah. Me, too."

As they stood in silence, staring at the screen, Keith felt her presence before she even made herself known. "Am I interrupting anything, boys?" Allura's voice shot into the control room.

"Nope. Not a thing," Lance replied.

"He's just mushy over Ginger," Keith teased.

Allura linked her arm through Keith's. "That's good," she responded, looking over at Lance. "I liked Ginger. In fact, I can honestly say I liked all of them. The Vehicle Team is made up of good pilots, and they're all likeable in their own ways." She grinned, moving her glance towards Keith. "Albegas, too."

"I can't believe you actually grew to like Morgan," Lance commented before taking another sip of coffee.

"I _especially _liked Morgan," the princess shot back. "She and I have a lot in common. Obviously."

Lance nearly spit out his mouthful of caffeine.

Keith and Allura glared at Lance for a moment, then she turned to gaze up at her boyfriend. "Keith," she said gently, "I was wondering if we could get away tonight, just the two of us. I was thinking that we could go to Heaven Bar to talk and have a drink."

At the mention of the bar that he used to frequent with Allura when Keith was on the hunt for Black - _and _the same bar that Sven and Aidan had gotten drunk at - Lance raised a curious eyebrow. He said nothing, though, especially not after receiving a dirty look from the princess.

"Sure," Keith replied. "I'd love that."

"Great. After we finish up for the day, we'll head over. Sound good?"

"Sounds great."

As they made their arrangements, Lance exited the room. He couldn't believe that Allura was taking Keith to the same bar they used to frequent on his trips to Arus when Wade had control of the Garrison. That place was _loaded _with memories.

_Wow_, he thought, _she must not be done punishing Keith yet_.

* * *

It was an odd feeling, being back on Earth and so close to Galaxy Garrison after so many years. Without thinking, Sven left his hotel room and automatically made his way over to the Garrison. Specifically, to the office of the Space Marshal. He wanted to see Lenora. They'd barely had any time to talk when he landed, and he needed to tell her about the plans he'd made for tonight.

It was easy to find the office. He remembered a time when he had to bail Lance - and, consequently, Aidan and Cliff - out of Graham's office with shocking regularity. The Garrison hadn't changed much since then; it was still on Garrison Island, while the Academy was on the mainland. It was the people who had changed. Graham and Steele had retired, replaced by Lenora and Kelly. And of course, Instructor Bailey was gone, replaced by Morgan.

He made a mental note of that.

It wasn't easy to get past the front desk. He remembered that part too; it had _never _been easy to access the Space Marshal, whoever it might be. However, he felt a bit annoyed as he had to gain clearance. Shouldn't his engagement to Lenora have counted for _something_?

Which was why, when he was finally granted clearance and was allowed to enter the Space Marshal's office, he was so shocked to see Kelly sitting at the desk instead of his _elskede._

"Well, well. If it isn't Sven Holgersson, the man who rescued our Christiane," she noted, almost mockingly, as he entered the room. "She's not here, Sven, so don't waste your time."

"Kelly, what is your problem?" he asked. He felt the Haggarium rage filling his bloodstream, and he knew without a doubt that Pidge's antidote was wearing thin. "Why do you hate me so much? You know how much I loved her - how much I _still _love her. Whatever happened to our family bond we forged at the Academy?"

Inhaling sharply, Kelly rose from the desk to stare at Sven. Her hazelnut eyes scorched into his slate-blue ones. "You know I love you, Holgersson," she admitted at last, "but I love Len more. And when this whole fiasco began, she told me that I was the first person to know about her affair on Arus. With _you_."

It was Sven's turn to inhale. He stepped away from the desk, not knowing what to say. "What exactly did she tell you, Asimov?" he asked, his voice deathly quiet.

"Everything." She stood up from the desk. She was much taller than Lenora, and in her heels, she was even taller than the Norwegian. "I know everything, including how she almost threw away her marriage to Commander Hawkins for you." She sneered. _"You. _She cheated on him for _you_."

"She was going to leave him?" He tried to hide the glimmer of hope in his voice.

Kelly looked like she wanted to spit. "Yeah." She looked down at the desk, and her voice softened. "Sven, did you know that Modoch cheated on me after Wade disbanded the Vehicle Team?"

The Norwegian shook his head. "No. I didn't even know you two were together. Though now it makes sense why Modoch was stalking Taye on the Explorer."

"So, needless to say, I find cheating unacceptable." She looked back up from the desk, and the harshness in her glare returned. "I find the fact that you cheated on your wife and Len cheated on her fiancé to be abhorrent. I know she considered herself to have broken off her engagement when she did it, but it's still disappointing. I'd have expected better from both of you."

He shook his head adamantly. "You don't understand."

"No, I don't."

He sighed. This conversation was going nowhere, and he didn't want to stand there and be lectured by his old floormate for what was a private, intimate moment between him and Lenora. He decided to get out of there as quickly as possible. "Tell the Space Marshal," he changed the subject quickly, "that I have made dinner reservations for the two of us at the Russian Tea Room tonight at 1800 hours. I will meet her there."

Kelly's eyes popped open. "Excuse me, Holgersson? Did you not hear anything I just said to you?"

"If I remember correctly, Commander Hawkins himself wanted to reward me for rescuing Christiane," he replied, keeping his voice in check. "I'd like dinner with the Space Marshal as my reward. When you see her, tell her that I will be waiting for her tonight at the Tea Room." Then, impassively saluting, he turned and headed for the exit.

"Holgersson! _Sven! _Get back here!" Kelly screeched.

He ignored her as he walked through the doorway.


	33. Let's Go

_Author's Note__: This chapter's a little on the long side by my standards, but it needed to be, because things are starting to come together. You'll see what I mean after you finish reading._

_A big "Thank you!" to everyone who's reading. You guys are the best. And since I haven't mentioned it in a while, the only things I own in this sordid tale are my characters._

_To Emie Mac - Believe it or not, Len & Morgan (and Jeff & Chris) totally trust Jon with the food. As for everything else in the wedding? Um...maybe not._

_To bknbu - Just wait 'til you get a load of Allura's date-night outfit...that alone should be something!_

_To Sally On - Depressed and clueless is exactly the way to describe Sven. I'm pretty sure it's still the Haggarium lurking in his system. Oh, and you should definitely be worried about dinner. Don't forget that the Russian Tea Room made an earlier appearance in Chapter 12._

_**Title Song: "Let's Go" by Calvin Harris ft. Ne-Yo**_

* * *

Ginger laid in the bottom portion of the bunk beds she once shared with Lisa, trying to convince herself to get out of bed and start the day. It was already past noon, and she should have at least been out of her pajamas by now. She just didn't feel like it, though. And after everything that had gone on in the past week, she didn't know if she could ever get out of bed again. Not even for a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery.

She thought she was past Lance. Well, maybe not exactly _past _him, but far enough removed from him that he wouldn't matter anymore. Far enough that he wouldn't influence her romantic decisions anymore. Now he was back in her life, and he seemed to miss her as much as she'd missed him.

Except for the small detail that she was on Earth while he was on Arus, things were pretty much perfect between them.

Sighing, she finally climbed out of the bed. The only reason she did so was because her bladder was full. Otherwise, she would have been content to wallow in her misery for much longer.

After she flushed the toilet and was washing her hands, she heard her phone ring.

"Always when I'm in the bathroom," she grumbled, drying her hands quickly and rushing over to her phone. Quietly, she thanked the caller. Since Lisa had more or less moved out of their apartment and into Aidan's, Ginger was by herself for most of the time the Explorer was docked, and she hated it. She always did better with people around.

It was Cinda. _Uh-oh. This can't be anything good. _"Hello?"

"GINGER!" she heard Cinda half-shriek, half-sob into the phone.

"Oh, good God. Cin? What's wrong? Are you hurt? Did somebody die?" She paused. "Do you need alcohol?" At least it was past noon.

Cinda sniffled. "No," she sobbed. "I found out that the lease on my apartment ran out and I'm homeless."

"_What?" _Ginger cried out. "You're _homeless_? How the heck did _that _happen?"

She heard Cinda blow her nose on the other end of the line. "With all of our missions on the Explorer, I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention to the lease notices," she explained. She sounded embarrassed. "When I got back to my apartment last night, the locks had been changed. So I knocked, and someone else was living there." She paused, hiccupping. "I went to go see the manager, and he said that since I hadn't renewed my lease, he had no choice but to empty my apartment and rent it out to somebody else."

"Do you still have your stuff?"

"Yeah. It's in an off-site storage unit. I ran around all morning, trying to come up with the money to bail it out."

"Oh my God. Where did you stay last night?"

"Cliff's couch."

"Ugh." Ginger remembered how both Cinda and Cliff had gotten apartments in New Jersey to save on rent. "What do you need me to do, Cin? You know I'll help you out the best I can."

There was an awkward pause, and for a moment, Ginger thought that Cinda might have hung up the phone. "Um..." she stated awkwardly, "I need you to help me find someplace to stay. Someplace cheap. I don't need much space, and I don't have a lot of stuff."

Ginger wasn't sure if Cinda was asking if she could move in, but that was okay by her. "Come by my place," she offered. "Bring your stuff. I'm gonna call Lisa."

"Huh?"

"Just come," Ginger assured her. "I'll see you soon." Then she hung up the phone and dialled Lisa's number. She knew Lisa was staying with Aidan, just like she always did when the Explorer was grounded. She knew how to fix this..._and _further her old roommate's relationship along at the same time.

* * *

Aidan had just stepped out of the shower when Lisa called to him, "Hey, Sweetheart? There's a situation going on with Cinda and I need your help solving it. It's pretty urgent."

"Hmm. Okay." He wrapped a towel around his muscular waist and tied his long hair back in a haphazard ponytail. "Though I'm not sure why you'd want my help. I'm usually the _cause _of the problem, not the solution."

She rolled her eyes. "Cinda's lease ran out. She's homeless."

"Wow. _That _stinks." He turned his face to the bathroom mirror. "So what do you want me to do about it, Lis? I can't magically make an apartment appear out of thin air. Especially not in a city like New York."

"Can I move in?"

"_Huh?"_

She batted her eyelashes flirtatiously at him. "Can I move in with you?"

"Don't you practically live here already?"

"Stop joking around. I'm serious."

"Oh, I see where this is going." Aidan broke out his razor to shave his face. "Cinda wants to move in with Ginger, but she can't do that unless _you've _officially moved out. And the only logical place for you to move would be in with me." He paused, turning his face away from his reflection to look at her. "You know what, Lis? I like it. It's a good idea. I _want _you to move in."

A giddy, overjoyed expression came over her face. "Really? You mean it?"

"Yup. Welcome home, Sweetheart." He turned back to the mirror and began to lather his face up with shaving cream.

"Don't bother." She grabbed his face with her hands and drew him in for a celebratory kiss. Shaving cream covered her face and hands, and when she finally let go, Aidan laughed at the messiness. Removing the towel from around his waist, he wiped both of their faces clean, then kissed her again, moving back into the bedroom. Right then, he decided that the two of them _definitely _weren't going anywhere for the rest of the day.

* * *

Jeff and Christiane watched in awe as Jon was greeted lovingly by an older blond woman at Per Se. She introduced herself to the engaged couple only as Isabel, which signalled to them that she had spent enough time with Jon to feel comfortable dropping all surnames and titles with him. She briefly congratulated them and informed them of her position as the special events manager. "But please," she reiterated, "call me Isabel."

"Okay," Jeff offered, unsure of himself. "My name is Jeff, and this is my fiancée Christiane. But everyone calls her Chris."

"Jeff and Chris," Isabel cooed, looking over them fondly for a moment. She then placed a hand on Jon's shoulder. "We're doing this reception off-site, correct?"

"Yes," he answered. "The reception will be on the terrace of my triplex on Fifth Avenue."

Isabel clapped with delight. "I have been absolutely _dying _to see your Fifth Avenue triplex, Jon. What a wonderful opportunity for me! Now, let's get started on the planning - you're not giving me much time to work with."

Jeff and Christiane exchanged glances as they watched the woman pull out binders and calendars. There were binders filled with photos, binders filled with menus, binders filled with schedules, and one particularly scary-looking binder filled with prices. Jeff swallowed. He felt incredibly guilty about the commander paying for the food at this wedding. It was just too much money.

Then again, he _had _said something about Jeff needing to 'man up' and have a wedding. It was his own fault.

To his surprise, Christiane really got into it. As Isabel pored over menu choices with Jon and Christiane, Jeff noticed his fiancée grinning and actively participating in the conversation. It was as though it was finally occurring to her that she was getting married, and she wanted to help host a good party for her friends and family. Even if that party _was _on the commander's dime.

Jeff felt terrible about it. Even though the commander had offered to host the reception, he still felt like that was an expense too great to ask of him. Not only that, he felt ashamed that he couldn't afford to give his bride an engagement ring or a wedding reception. He could barely afford a place for the two of them to live after they got married.

As the feelings of inadequacy tore through him, he felt his phone vibrate. Glancing down at the screen, he saw it was Morgan. "Excuse me," he said quietly, looking up, "I need to take this call. If you'll all pardon me."

"Go ahead, Jeff," Christiane told him. "Just don't take _too _long, otherwise I'll pick out the entire menu without you."

"Don't worry, I'll be right back."

Stepping out through the restaurant's blue doors, Jeff answered the phone. "What's up, Morganza? Don't you have a class to teach in, like, five minutes?"

"Yeah, so I'll make this short. What are you doing tonight?"

"I think we're doing more wedding-related stuff. Sheesh." Jeff rolled his eyes, imagining how much of his life for the next twenty-six days would revolve around the wedding. They had just gotten the marriage license and chosen the officiant that morning; they would officially be married in twenty-six days. "Why? You got something in mind?"

"Yeah. Actually, I do. I'll meet you at home after work and we'll go from there. If you're available, that is."

He smiled. "For you? Anything."

"Thanks, Amigo. See you then."

After hanging up, Jeff sighed and returned to the room with Christiane, Isabel and Jon. This wedding planning business was crazy. And crazy _expensive_. He was glad that he knew that Chris was The One and he would only have to do this once. Any more than that seemed like a waste.

Yet he couldn't help the fond smile that crawled onto his lips as he watched the radiant glow coming off Christiane's face. She looked so happy as she discussed appetizers and cocktails. Shrugging to himself, he figured that maybe it _was _all worth it. He would just have to relax and enjoy the here and now.

* * *

Lance knew she had to be getting ready for her date. He'd known Allura for a long time, and he knew how long it took for her to get ready to go out to Heaven Bar. Even if she was only throwing on jeans and a T-shirt, it still seemed to take four hours for all the primping and preening.

When it had been just the two of them, that was all she wore.

This was no Lance-and-Allura-tossing-back-drinks-at-Heaven night out. Allura was going on a date with Keith, her boyfriend who had - no pun intended - royally messed up their relationship. And the fact that she was bringing him to Heaven, of all places, concerned him. He had to talk to her.

He laughed to himself as he approached her door. She hadn't changed the code on the keypad outside, and Lance punched the quick numbers in. He heard the door unlock and he pushed it open.

He and Allura had exchanged codes after Keith went on the hunt for Black. For some reason, every time Lance came back to Arus for a visit, both he and the princess were plagued by nightmares. One particularly bad night, she ran in tears to Lance's room. He admitted to having nightmares as well, and they'd exchanged key codes so that they could freely enter the other's room in the middle of the night. It was never for anything more than that. Lance truly felt for Allura the same way that he reasoned Jeff must have felt for Morgan. Their love for each other was strictly platonic.

But Keith...Lance was as close to Keith as he was to Allura. For that reason, he could not let her do what he figured she was going to do.

When Allura entered the bedroom, she was dressed in her bathrobe, her long blond hair damp from the shower. She hardly seemed surprised to see Lance sitting on her bed, waiting for her. "I was sure you'd show up," she told him, seating herself in front of her vanity.

"I figured you'd be waiting for me." Lance moved behind her, speaking to her reflection in the mirror. "Listen, what you do in your relationship with Keith is your business. But when it impinges on _my_ relationship with Keith, I have to speak up."

"How, exactly, does my date with Keith tonight impinge on your relationship with him?"

Lance's brows furrowed. "Because if he gets hurt, he'll come to me to talk him down from the ledge. And if you think I'm as eloquent as the great Clifford Jack, well, think again."

"How am I going to hurt him?"

"You're going to _Heaven_."

She shrugged, reaching forward to pick up a bottle of face primer and her eyelash curler. "Do you still think of Heaven as my place with -"

"_Yes." _Lance shot her an icy look. It wasn't as good as Sven's, but it would do.

"Ah. I thought so." Allura leaned in closer to the mirror to curl her lashes. "Well, just so you know, that is part of the reason why I'm taking Keith there tonight. I want him to see how I felt the entire time he was pining over Morgan. I don't want to hurt him, but I do want him to understand how much I must love him if I came back to him after feeling so worthless."

Lance shook his head disapprovingly. "So I can't stop you, then."

"No."

"Okay, then. Good luck tonight."

"Thanks."

As Lance left her room, he was thoroughly grateful that he had Ginger back in his life. It was a whole lot easier for him to be with his former classmate and fellow pilot than it ever would have been with his Arusian princess.

* * *

He was so angry when he left the Space Marshal's office. He hadn't wanted to get into a fight with Kelly; that was the last thing he had planned on doing. It just seemed to happen. The worst part was that he knew it was the Haggarium in his system. Pidge and Vince hadn't been able to defeat it, after all.

Yet another reason he needed his _elskede _back. He needed something to make him forget about this infection that he would probably carry with him for life.

It was a long walk from Garrison Island to the Space Academy. It wasn't unmanageable, though, and Sven was grateful for the distraction. It was nice to be reminded of his Academy days. Pleasant times. Times before Voltron and Arus, times before Haggar and her robeast and a certain planet called Ebb.

Without even realizing it, he'd found his way back to the quad. Things looked different - it had been half his lifetime ago that he'd started here - but the basics were still the same. There were more buildings now, but the originals still stood as valiantly as ever, though not as imposing as they had when he was still a student. Briefly, he wondered if the navigation department was still in the same building.

_Only one way to find out._

Though his footsteps were sure, he didn't know where he was going in life. It didn't matter where he had been; the only thing that mattered now was where he was going.

Climbing to the third floor of the old building, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that navigation hadn't moved. That made sense, considering how inflexible navigators were. As he headed towards an open door, one attached to a room that he had spent plenty of time in, he heard a familiar voice wafting through.

"Now, cadets, you're only ten weeks removed from graduation. There's nothing worse than getting your first job on a ship and blowing it, which is why I continue to hammer these drills into your head. And if you think it's bad enough to have to calculate a flight path in fifty minutes, try doing it in real life when it takes sixty _hours_."

He propped himself up against the wall opposite the open door. Morgan stood at the head of the class wearing a traditional officer's uniform instead of her blue-and-white Albegas uniform. Her black hair was pulled off her face. Sven couldn't believe that at such a young age, she had taken over Instructor Bailey's position teaching NAV503.

Somehow, she knew he was there. Her violet eyes darted out to the hallway and locked with his. With one hand, she motioned for him to come into the classroom. He did so, reluctantly.

"Cadets," she interrupted them, "I know that you're all in the middle of your flight plan, but I wanted to introduce someone. This man is a very dear friend of mine, one who sat next to me and spent as much time in this classroom as I did. I'd like to introduce Sven Holgersson, original Blue Lion pilot of Planet Arus' Lion Voltron."

There weren't many cadets in the class, under twenty at best, and each one paused to look up. Sven didn't know how much of an impression he made on them, as each one looked eager to finish his or her flight path. He acknowledged all of them, then stepped out into the hallway, with Morgan following.

"I can't believe you're teaching NAV503," he said proudly. "You're the greatest navigator in the Alliance."

She shot him an aw-shucks expression. "Yeah, tell me something I don't know," she retorted teasingly. "Hey, what are you doing tonight? Jeff and I are going out, and I think it's only fitting if you came with us."

Sven shook his head. "I'd like to, but I can't. I'm having dinner with Lenora at the Russian Tea Room. Thank you for the offer, though."

He could tell from the look on her face that her heart had dropped to her knees. "Oh, Sven," she lamented. "Why are you torturing yourself? She's married and unavailable. _You're _married and unavailable. I know you two still love each other, but dragging her to the Tea Room is a low blow." She pursed her lips. "Come out with me and Jeff instead. It'll make you laugh, I promise."

"I'd really like to, Morgan. But right now, I'd like nothing other than spending the night with Lenora."

Morgan blew out an exaggerated sigh. "Fine. But don't get upset when she doesn't go home with you, Holgersson. She can't, and she won't." She shrugged. "Well, I've gotta get back to these cadets. If you change your mind about tonight, you know how to get in touch with me, okay?"

"Okay," he replied, all the while thinking that he couldn't wait to get to dinner.

* * *

"Moran, you're a genius."

Lenora wiped her greasy hands on a rag as the genius technical scientist known only as Moran ran a clean scan on Red. She hadn't felt confident about anyone else getting into Red's computer and mechanical systems, so she had done the work herself. She did feel good about Moran running the scans on her behalf, so the work had been more efficient.

"Well," he offered jokingly, "you were the one who got in there and got dirty."

She'd immediately liked the man when she first met. He was twenty-five years older than she was; literally old enough to be her father. He made her wonder what her own father would have been like had he not been murdered so many years ago. In any case, Moran was a comforting presence, and his unmatched intelligence was on par with his superb technical skills.

"True enough."

"So that was it," he murmured, checking the readout. "The fuel crystallized in the hardware nexus. I suppose that could only happen on Crydor."

"I suppose."

"Here. There's no need for you to stick around here, Space Marshal," Moran saluted. "I'll reboot Red, and I'll fortify and reboot Black and Blue in the process. You should go back to your office."

She nodded. "I think I'll do that. Thank you, Moran."

He smiled. "My pleasure."

She left the hangar, feeling much better now that the problem with the red mecha had been pinpointed. Of course, she always felt better after being in Moran's comforting presence. Sometimes she felt like a child around him, but in a good way. She felt safe and protected, as though her father was watching over her.

She felt warm and fuzzy throughout her walk from the hangar back to her office. With her hair pulled back into a ponytail, smelling of grease and sweat, she had never felt freer or more important - or closer to her father - than she did at that moment.

As soon as she walked back into her office and her eyes met Kelly's, all of those good feelings vanished.

"Uh-oh. What's wrong, Kell?"

"Len." She stood up from the desk and exhaled angrily. "You had a visitor earlier."

"Who?"

"Sven."

"Oh." Lenora shrugged. "I had a feeling he'd come looking for me. What did he want?"

"Dinner. Tonight. With you. 1800 hours." Kelly paused. "Russian Tea Room."

The Space Marshal inhaled. "I should've known," she mumbled, almost too ashamed to look at her first officer just then. "I suppose he deserves a reward, but my God...the Tea Room? What is he trying to do, kill me?"

"He's trying to win you back."

"I think you're right." She sighed.

"Len, please tell me you're not gonna leave your husband." Kelly's plea was bright and shining in her eyes. "Please. I know how much you loved Sven, and I know that you still love Sven, but my God, think about your marriage vows. Think about how much Jon loves you. Don't go to the Tea Room tonight. Leave Sven hanging. He's not worth ruining your marriage over."

Lenora agreed with her. "I have to go. He's earned it." She shot an intense look back at Kelly. "But believe me when I say that he won't get the ultimate reward he wants. He wants me to go back to him, and I can't. That just won't happen."

"Good," Kelly replied, looking relieved.

"So I suppose, if you've got nothing else to report, I'll go home and get ready for dinner. Can you handle the workload for the rest of the day?"

"Of course." Kelly looked back at her friend with a ferocity Lenora had barely seen before. "Please don't go back to Sven, Len. Please."

"I won't."

As Lenora made that promise, she knew in her heart she would stick to it. But she was worried about what might happen when she told him no.


	34. Set the Fire to the Third Bar

_Author's Note__: DATE NIGHT BEGINS! Between Heaven Bar and the Russian Tea Room, we've run the gamut on date night outfits. Check out what our hotties are wearing._

_On Allura: Short-sleeve Lace Tee in Indigo Mood (Victoria's Secret website), Daredevil Skinny Jeans in CRX Wash (Guess website), and Black Daf Booty (Christian Louboutin website)._

_On Lenora: Le Reve Dress (Kiki de Montparnasse website), Christian Louboutin Lady Peep Patent Leather Pumps in Plum (Saks Fifth Avenue website), Mosaic Pendant (Tiffany website), and Classic Ballet Wrap with Long Sleeves in Black (Abi and Joseph website)._

_To bknbu - Allura doesn't want to hurt Keith per se, she simply wants him to realize how she felt when he was telling Morgan that she was "the one that got away." And oh yes, they've all known since their Academy days that Aidan is the best-looking guy out of all of them. :O_

_To Sally On - Aidan is __way__ hot. It's gotta be the long blond hair. :D And really, are you surprised that the Viking is managing to upset everyone around him? Really?_

_To Emie Mac - Chalk my writing skills up to watching WAAAYYY too much TV when I was a kid. But I also read a lot, so that helps, too. And as I've hinted before, if you think our man Jeff had a rough day with the wedding planning, just wait 'til his bachelor party. Just wait._

_To Wade Wells - Our favorite princess is hurting, and while what she's doing may not make sense to us (or Lance), it makes sense to her. I'm not judging; I've done stupider._

_**Title Song: "Set the Fire to the Third Bar" by Snow Patrol**_

* * *

By the time Jon returned home to the triplex, he was exhausted. He had spent the entire day running around with Jeff and Christiane to get the framework of their wedding organized: marriage license, ceremony officiant, and of course, the food and wine at Per Se. In addition, he had to stop by La Bergamote Patisserie to make sure that Christiane had her Opera Pastry.

He was done with his part. Morgan and Lenora could handle the rest.

He was too tired to even take the stairs to the fourteenth floor. Instead, he took the private elevator, which was lazy, but he had been on his feet all day and just wanted to go to bed. It was too bad that he couldn't sleep without his wife next to him. Maybe he could convince her to call it an early evening.

As the elevator door opened up in the seating area of the master bedroom, he found her in front of the mirror, clasping her Mosaic necklace around her neck. He grinned, remembering how he'd given her that necklace as a wedding present.

Then he noticed what she was wearing.

He recognized the dress as one he'd purchased for her in Paris during their honeymoon. It was an exquisite lace-trimmed silk slip dress, black, with a transparent lace hem that fell right above her knee. That being said, the _actual _hem, the place where the opaque silk of the dress stopped and where the lace began, was higher than mid-thigh. On her feet, she wore obscenely high dark plum-colored peep-toed platform heels.

"_Well." _He cocked an eyebrow at her. "To what do I deserve this honor?"

She sighed, reaching for her ballet wrap top. It was meant to be used for exercise, but she often used it as a cardigan substitute, tying it around her waist instead of wrapping it around her torso. "I've been called into service."

"As what?" he teased. "My call girl?"

"I wish." She wrapped her arms around him and clung to him as though she might drown if she let go. She laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, savoring the feel of him. "Sargeant Holgersson has asked me to join him for dinner tonight as part of his reward."

"Sven?" He kissed the top of her head. "Where are you going?"

"Russian Tea Room."

"Blech."

She burst out laughing and swatted him. "I cannot believe that word just came out of your mouth!" she cried out, still laughing.

"I've spent the better part of the day at Per Se, arranging for Jeff's and Christiane's wedding reception. Believe me, there's no competition between the Tea Room and Per Se. None." He made that face again.

"Even so..." Her fingers trailed down his chest slowly. "Can I convince you to join us for dinner?"

He shook his head. "I am exhausted. I don't think I could go anywhere even if I wanted to. You forgot, you're married to an old man."

"Forty-one is hardly old, Jon."

"Forty-two in a few days." He sat down on the edge of their bed. "Three years. We've been together for three years, Lenora."

She raised her eyebrow. "I never forget that. We'll always have Paris, right, _mon coeur_?"

He smiled wistfully. "You haven't call me that in a long time."

"Maybe I should start again." She sat down on the bed next to him. "I love you, Jon. Please come to dinner with me. Please."

"I hate the Tea Room."

"I know. But please? For me?"

He sighed. He hated telling his wife no, but he was too tired to join her. Even if dinner had been at Per Se, he most likely would have opted out. "You go without me. Have a good time. Send my regrets to Sven." He looked over at her. "Call Carlo. He'll take you wherever you need to go."

She nodded, looking crestfallen at his refusal to join her. "Please, Jon?"

"I'm sorry."

"I understand. But I wish you would." Unhappy, she accepted his answer, and reached into her clutch for her phone. "I'll call Carlo."

"Good. He'll keep you safe." Jon, relieved that he had a personal car and driver to take care of his wife, kicked off his shoes and laid back on the bed. _"Je t'aime, mon ange."_

She dialled Carlo's number. _"Je t'aime plus, mon coeur."_

Once she'd contacted Carlo to pick her up, she looked back at her husband one more time. "Please wait up for me," she requested from him. "If you won't come out with me, at least wait up for me."

He nodded. "I can do that. Be safe."

"I will."

As she made her way down to the lobby of the building, she found it ironic that her husband had told her to be safe. Now that he wasn't coming with her to protect her, not she felt as though even Carlo couldn't keep her safe.

* * *

"Twenty-six days. We're getting married in twenty-six days!" Christiane cried out gleefully, wrapping her arms around Jeff. "I'm doing some online research tonight for a wedding dress. What are you gonna do?"

"Morgan's got something up her sleeve. Something mysterious." Jeff shrugged. He had no idea what his best female friend had planned, but whenever Morgan Rackens had a mysterious plan, she was not to be questioned.

He unlocked the front door to the renovated Victorian, and Christiane went through first. As Jeff locked the door behind them, he heard her exclaim, "A new bottle of Ciroc! How did you know I needed some?"

Morgan had already tossed back a shot of their favorite vodka. "I need it for strength tonight," she answered, refilling her glass. "Here. Both of you, come do a shot with me." Before they could answer, she retrieved two more shotglasses from the cupboard and filled them.

"Where's Dave?" Jeff asked as he picked up his glass.

"Working late. I guess Len spent the day in the hangar fixing the Albegas mecha, and after everything was rebooted, she requested his help in the final systems scan." She wrinkled her nose. "Apparently, she couldn't get ahold of Aidan or Taye. Probably 'cuz they're both shacked up in their respective apartments with their respective girlfriends."

"Ha." Christiane tipped her head back and knocked back her entire shot. "Good, I needed that. Now I can look for wedding dresses." She cracked a grin at the two friends. "So, what exactly are you guys doing tonight?"

"It's a surprise," Morgan answered. "C'mon, Amigo. Do your shot with me, and let's get outta here. Time's wasting."

"Geez." Clinking his shotglass with hers, Jeff and Morgan knocked back their vodka - his first, her second. Then, after letting out a satisfied sigh, Morgan grabbed her purse with one hand and Jeff's arm with the other. She placed a kiss on the top of Christiane's head, the headed out the door with her Amigo in tow.

"Seriously, Morganza," Jeff told her as they headed back into the city, "what in seven hells are we doing, and where in seven hells are we going? You haven't told me anything."

Morgan giggled. She was beginning to succumb to the effects of the Ciroc, but she was grateful - she needed it. "I needed you here with me, Amigo. I came up with the idea when we were coming home on the Explorer. After everything we went through with Chris and Keith, I decided I needed to do this."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "And what, exactly, is _this_?"

She kissed his cheek. "You'll see when we get there." Her violet eyes darkened momentarily. "I asked Sven this afternoon if he wanted to go with us, but no, he's only got eyes for Len. Just like always." She sighed, frustrated. "Oh well."

"So you still haven't told me. What are we doing?"

She shot him a rueful smile. "Something I promised myself a long time ago, Jeffie. And now I intend to make good on that promise."

He shrugged. "You're crazy, you know that?"

"Yup. And proud of it."

She didn't say another word until they'd reached their destination, despite Jeff's many attempts to pry any information out of her. And when they arrived, he gasped, then looked back at her like she really _was _crazy. But he remembered. He remembered that night and her promise to someday come back and finish what she'd started.

The Tattoo Emporium. Open twenty-four hours.

* * *

Keith waited nervously in his room, wishing Allura would hurry up and finish getting ready for their date. He didn't know why he was so anxious about going to Heaven Bar with her; there was just something on Lance's face that made him think it was a bad idea.

He had dressed as best he could. He didn't have much for a frame of reference, and he felt bad that the last time he'd been to a trendy bar, it had been on his ex-girlfriend's twenty-first birthday. He dressed similarly, in dark-washed jeans and a white button-down shirt, with black leather shoes on his feet. Underneath his shirt, he wore a white undershirt to hide the scar across his chest. There was no need to scare people with it.

Finally, he decided to knock on her door. He didn't know why he was so hesitant, he only felt like this was a make-or-break moment for them. After a careful moment, he knocked, only loud enough for her to hear.

She answered and opened the door.

Keith stared at his girlfriend. Allura looked astonishing. She would have fit in anywhere, even in the New York club scene. Her blond hair was long and straight, unadorned and sleek. She wore - he guessed it was an homage to Blue Lion - a cobalt-blue lace T-shirt with a nude camisole underneath. She wore darker-washed jeans, ones that made her legs look longer, and black platform suede booties with an insanely high heel. She looked incredibly sexy, and the glint in her emerald eyes made him draw in a breath.

"I'm ready, Keith," she told him lightly, as if she wasn't stating the obvious.

"Oh...um...of course." He recovered his composure quickly and reached out for her hand. She took it adoringly, squeezing it. "Would you mind if we walked? I'd like all the time alone with you that I can get."

"I'd actually prefer it if we walked," she responded, leaning her head against his shoulder as they walked towards the elevator. In those heels, they were almost the same height. "That's why we always went to Heaven, Lance and I. Because it's within walking distance of the castle."

"Oh. I didn't realize that." As the elevator doors closed behind them, she wrapped herself up in his arms, hanging her head over his shoulder. Suddenly, she felt guilty. She didn't want to hurt Keith anymore, he'd been hurt enough. Lance was right. "When did you and Lance go to this place together?"

"When you were on the hunt for Black." She shook her head. "Whenever Lance would come to visit me, we'd go together." She tightened her arms around him. "I was so lonely then, Keith. I missed you all so much. Hunk and Pidge were on Earth, pretending to work under Wade. Lance was too, but he'd come to see me whenever he got the chance, and his visits made those years bearable."

Keith nodded but said nothing else. The elevator stopped on the ground floor, and the doors opened. He took her hand again and led her out through the main hall, where they slipped outside into the darkness. When it was just the two of them, headed towards the main city on the outskirts of the castle, he asked, "Was that when you met your boyfriend?"

"Yes." She didn't hesitate in her answer.

"I see." Keith continued to walk along, holding her hand. "Did you love him?"

"Not the way I love you. I've always felt bad about that. He was a placeholder, and I knew that. But that being said...I did love him in my own way."

"Should I be jealous?"

"No." Allura shook her head emphatically. "He was very, _very _good to me. I will always appreciate how well he took care of me in your absence. Or, I should say, in the absence of my entire team."

Keith felt a pull on his heart, but he decided to remain open-minded. After all, he had just put Allura through seven hells with Morgan. "Tell me about him."

"I took to him right away when I met him," she recalled, closing her eyes. She wasn't worried about finding her way to Heaven; her feet somehow seemed to know where to go. "It was his face. He was a little older than us, and therefore older than I was when Doom attacked, but he had been there. He suffered losses too." She clenched her teeth together for a moment. "He told me how he remembered his house on fire, then collapsing. His parents had been killed immediately in the blast from one of Zarkon's ships. He tried to drag his little sister out of the house, but she too had been killed immediately."

He inhaled, then gripped her hand to let her know it was okay. "I understand, Allura. He suffered, too, and lost as much as you had. I can see why you'd be drawn to him."

"He told me that when the house collapsed, a beam struck him in the face. It left him scarred. He was such a handsome man, but he had that scar...in any case, he said he was grateful that it was only a scar, and he hadn't lost his eye, too." She smiled grimly. "I liked him immediately. We spent so much time together, but if you think Coran and Nanny ever would have let us become serious, well, you'd have another thing coming. But I relished our time together, and I've never regretted it."

"Why did you stop seeing him?"

"Isn't it obvious? You came home, Voltron was resurrected...I didn't need him anymore. I missed him, but I didn't need him."

"Ouch. That's cold," he teased, planting a kiss on her cheek. "So, that's your dark secret. It feels good to know that I'm not the only one with a past and an ex."

"Ah. There's so much to our exes. So much love that's still there." Somehow, she managed a laugh. "Why couldn't we have normal break-ups? Ones where we hate our exes and never want to see them or talk to them again? Why do the two of us in particular have to still feel fondness towards our exes?"

"Because we're good people?" Keith guessed.

"Hmm. Maybe."

As Lance had mentioned, the walk to Heaven Bar was short, and Allura dragged him through the door. As soon as she entered, all activity seemed to stop. The wait staff seemed frozen, staring at her nervously. Finally, the hostess approached. "Your Majesty," she mumbled, giving a slight curtsy, "may I show you to your usual seat?"

"Please," Allura replied.

The hostess led them to a circular half-booth surrounding a small table. There were drapes and candles; it was the most romantic seat in a bar that Keith could ever recall seeing. As they sat against the exquisite red velvet, the hostess drew the drapes, and they were enclosed in their own dimly-lit little world. "I'll go get Mr. Halix," they heard her say through the curtains.

"Wow," he breathed. "This is really nice. Did they do this for you and Lance?"

"Sometimes," she answered. "It was more for our privacy than for any romantic interlude, though." She smiled across the table at him. "Lance never told me, but I always knew that there was a woman in his life that he'd never gotten over. His ladies'-man act never fooled me. I'm just glad that I finally got to meet her."

"Ginger's a nice girl."

"She is. I told you before, I like her."

Suddenly, the drapes flew open, and a man stood over them. "Your Majesty," he said simply, inclining his head towards Allura. "It is my honor and pleasure to have you here." He looked up and over towards Keith. "And you, Captain Kogane."

"Thank you, Brent." She looked up at him lovingly. "And you should know by now to call me Allura."

Keith knew. He _knew_. The long brown hair, the hazel eyes, the well-built physique...any woman would have been enamored of him for those qualities. But not Allura.

Allura had been drawn to the long scar underneath his left eye.

"I can't believe you're here," he murmured to the princess, locking his hazel eyes to her emerald ones. "When the hostess told me you were here, I couldn't believe it. I had to see you again with my own eyes."

Keith's heart felt like his girlfriend had set fire to it as he watched Mr. Halix lovingly dip down to kiss Allura's hand. He realized that this man had been her boyfriend. Her lover. The one who had gotten there first.

He didn't know whether he wanted to hate him or pity him.

* * *

Sven was there early.

Of course he was at the Russian Tea Room early. He did not want to keep his _elskede _waiting for him. If she had to wait, she might leave. And he couldn't afford that. Not when he was so close to getting her back.

He was glad he'd chosen to make a reservation. He had gotten a booth, a red vinyl half-booth instead of a table, which made their meeting all the more intimate. He'd already ordered a half-bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne, chilling on ice, as well as two shots of Ciroc vodka, to be delivered when she arrived. He wanted everything to be perfect for her.

The restaurant was busy, but not exceptionally so. Still, he was glad that he was ready. He wanted everything to be perfect. He wanted to impress her. He wanted to make her fall in love with him all over again. Oh, she still loved him, all right. But he wanted her to be madly in love with him again, the way she was before he left for Arus.

The waitress delivered a basket of bread to the table, which he accepted gratefully. He was hungry. He'd barely eaten anything all day, he was more concerned with making sure tonight went as best it could. He had purchased a suit, a Hugo Boss one, much like one that Jonathan Hawkins might favor. Sven grumbled to himself. Why did he have to emulate Lenora's husband when he knew Lenora had loved him before she'd ever met the commander?

When the waitress stopped by again, this time to deliver the shots of vodka, she leaned over and whispered, "Mr. Holgersson, the rest of your party is here."

He looked up to find Lenora, clad in black, making her way over to the table. She carried an unreadable expression on her face. _Here we go, _he thought nervously as she approached.


	35. A Beautiful Lie

_Author's Note__: And so date night begins. How many bars and how many broken hearts? Only these characters know for sure, and until I wrote the scenes, even I didn't know what was going to happen. I mean, I thought I knew, but you know how these characters like to come in and surprise me. So nobody write me hate mail over the fact that I'm leaving cliffhangers! Address any mail to these characters, who are continually shocking me with what they do._

_To Emie Mac - Sven is pretty stubborn, but I think that if he were to accept help/advice from anyone, it would be Chris, probably b/c she's not one of the "family," she's only marrying into it. Plus, she's a seer. Pretty cool to get advice from someone with those abilities._

_To FroofyB - We missed you, too! Glad you have internet access again - as you can see, a lot's been happening here!_

_To bknbu - Allura, during her years when Voltron was impounded, did a few not-so-nice things. Some of those things were with Brent Halix. None of them involved getting a tattoo like Morgan. Though it's been mentioned before in SLY and "Icicle," the best place to find a description of Morgan's infamous tattoo is in "We Are Young."_

_To Sally On - Thank you for the compliment, my darling! This entire evening feels like it might be a train wreck: Allura/Keith/Brent, Lenora/Jon/Sven, Romelle/Sven/Erimar, Morgan/Jeff/Tattoo Emporium._

_**Title Song: "A Beautiful Lie" by 30 Seconds to Mars (no joke, the lyrics to this song sound like they were written for Sven)**_

* * *

Bandor and Emma exchanged glances as they sat on opposite ends of the informal dining room table. They were joined at dinner by Romelle and Erimar. Emma knew that her new husband was not happy about the prince overstaying his welcome.

She couldn't tell Bandor the real reason why Erimar was still there. As she watched the way the prince and Romelle coolly regarded each other across the table, it was hard to believe that they'd slept together. But she knew they had. What she had heard with her own ears could not be misinterpreted as anything else.

She couldn't stand the tension in the room. Romelle and Erimar were trying to ignore each other, Bandor was trying his best to tolerate Erimar, and she herself was trying to figure out how she could ever forgive her new sister-in-law for not only cheating on her husband, but worse, for also seeming to forget about Erik.

It was such an uncomfortable dinner.

Bandor swallowed a bite of steak, then set his knife and fork down on either side of his dinner plate. "So, Erimar," he casually dropped out, "is there nothing happening on Tyvel that you don't feel the need to return to your planet?"

Romelle almost died of embarrassment.

To his credit, Erimar seemed unaffected by the new king's comment. "Tyvel is a small, out-of-the-way planet, King Bandor," he replied carefully, placing his own fork down on the table. "I am lucky enough to have a council and a parliament to take control in my absence. Perhaps that is something you might think about, once your planet is back on its feet."

Emma swallowed. True, she didn't care very much for Erimar since he had knowingly - and all too willingly - bedded a married woman. At the same time, however, she didn't care for Bandor's frank treatment of him, even if he _was _now king; it was rude. If he got his behind handed to him on a gilded dinner platter, well, he had only brought it upon himself.

Bandor looked stunned. As well he would - Romelle, Sven, and Emma had never really challenged him before. He was surprised that Erimar would, though he shouldn't have been. "Those are interesting concepts, Erimar. I'll be sure to look into them."

The prince nodded. "Agreed. That's the wise thing to do, Your Highness."

Romelle uttered a sigh of relief.

Emma turned her face back to her plate. This was not what she wanted. This was not how she ever thought her marriage would begin. Suddenly, she missed Sven fiercely. He may not have been the most beloved member of the royal family, but he was the one who understood her best. She swallowed, wishing beyond hope that he would come back to Pollux - _home _- sooner rather than later.

* * *

Once Brent Halix had excused himself to bring them two house cocktails, Keith looked over at Allura. Her face betrayed no emotion; even her emerald eyes were still. As she noticed him staring at her, she sighed and leaned back into the banquette. "So...that was him."

"I gathered." He shot her a look. It wasn't an angry look, or a sad look, or even a jealous look. It was a look of acceptance. A look of knowing. "So, tell me, the way I feel now, that's more or less how you've been feeling lately?"

"A mix of everything, but mostly confusion? Mmm-hmm," she replied. She then shook her head. "I'm sorry, Keith. I shouldn't have done this to you. And I _really _shouldn't have done this to Brent."

He scooted over next to her in the banquette, placing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her into him. "It's okay, Allura. I can handle it. Besides, I probably had it coming." He offered her an amused smile. "So, what do they have to drink in this place?"

"The house drink is the Blue Lion cocktail. But Brent makes it special for me. He calls it the Blue Lion Pilot. It has Arusian tequila instead of rum."

"Wow. I never would have taken you for a tequila girl."

"Lance's fault."

Keith stifled a laugh. "Why does that not surprise me? Remind me to have a talk with him when we get back to the castle."

She smiled. She still looked a little upset and a little guilty, but she would get over it. It made her feel better that Keith was okay with her stupid plan. It didn't make her feel better about hurting Brent. She never should have done that.

Then again, there were a _lot _of things she shouldn't have done with Brent. And a lot of things he shouldn't have done with her.

When Brent returned to their private booth, he held a blue drink in each hand. "The house cocktail," he informed Keith as he set the drink down in front of him. "One Blue Lion." Then he set the other drink down in front of Allura. "And one Blue Lion Pilot. For the Blue Lion pilot."

"You remembered," she gushed. "Thank you."

"Of course."

Allura took her first sip as Mr. Halix watched. "It's better than ever, Brent," she told him. "It's delicious."

"Mine's pretty good, too," Keith chimed in.

Allura enjoyed her Blue Lion Pilot, allowing herself to taste it properly. Then she placed her drink back down on the table, then looked up at their host with twinkling emerald eyes. "Brent," she cooed, "how's Natanya?"

He looked shocked that she'd asked. "Oh," he replied quickly, "she's doing well, thank you."

The princess gazed up at the bartender lovingly, squeezing Keith's hand underneath the table. "I'm so glad to hear that. I take it that you two have finally gotten back together, and things are going well for both of you."

Brent nodded. "Yes. They are, actually. Finally. They are."

She gave a quick nod of her head. "Wonderful. I'm so glad to hear that."

Brent inhaled. "Well, I will let the two of you have some alone time," he conceded. "Please don't hesitate to call me if you need another drink. Don't forget, the Voltron Force drinks free as far as I'm concerned."

"Thank you, Brent."

As Mr. Halix closed the drapes behind him to allow them some privacy, Keith turned towards his girlfriend. "So what was that all about?" he asked. "And how does he make a girlie drink so fruity and delicious?" He paused suspiciously. "Don't tell Lance that I said that."

She laughed freely. "I won't. And let's just say that Brent knows how to mix a darned good drink." She took a sip, not caring about how the blue coloring stained her lips.

"So, who's Natanya?"

Keith's question was the one question she'd been dreading, and she took another long sip of her cocktail. "Keith, when I told you earlier that Coran and Nanny wouldn't let me be with Brent, that wasn't exactly the truth. I mean, it was, but not for the reasons you'd ordinarily think."

"Really? Because the reason that came to my mind was that he wasn't a prince." He grinned, taking a sip of his drink. "That he was a hooligan like us, as Nanny would say."

"I'm sure that was _a_ reason, but not _the _reason." Allura looked down at the table, not daring to meet Keith's eyes as she told him the truth. "The real reason is..."

"Is what?"

"During our entire relationship, Brent was married."

* * *

Sven swallowed in anticipation as Lenora sat down in the rounded half-booth, keeping a safe distance away from him. She inhaled, unsure of the situation, her eyes darting over to the half-bottle of Clicquot in the ice bucket, then down to the two shots of vodka on the table. She looked as though she wanted to knock back all of it by herself.

"You look stunning, Lenora."

She looked as though she was too nervous to have heard him.

"Are you even going to say hello to me, _Elskede_?"

She inhaled quickly, turning her head the slightest amount possible. _"Hei."_

He smiled. "I forgot to tell you how well you still speak Norwegian. I'm glad you didn't lose that ability in my absence."

"I'm good with languages." She picked up a menu from off the table. "I speak French, too."

"Really?" He lifted an eyebrow. "When did you learn to speak French?"

"During the two years I was hiding out in Paris."

He nodded. He knew a little about her years in hiding from his conversations with Aidan. "Yes, I know. Aidan told me. Well, that amongst other things."

"_You _sat down and had a decent conversation with Aidan Dalloway? I'm impressed." She picked the menu up from off the table. "Did anyone get hurt in the process?"

He grinned, his eyes twinkling. "Why do you think anyone would have gotten hurt?"

"Because when it came down to you versus Aidan back at the Academy, somebody _always _got hurt." She skimmed the dinner menu before placing it back down on the table. "Are you hungry? We could always go somewhere else for dinner."

Sven paused, hurt, before he answered. "Why would you want to go anywhere else for dinner when we're already here?"

She sighed. She knew going in that this would be a difficult encounter, and she knew that her former fiancé was going to be disappointed in her decision to stay with her husband. "I know why you picked the Tea Room, Sven. You did it because it was my mother's favorite restaurant, and also where we told her that we'd gotten engaged."

"I miss your mother," he offered simply. "She was like my own mother. Aidan told me about her, too. I am so sorry, Lenora. I am sorrier than words could ever express." He picked up his shotglass of Ciroc. "For your mother. _Skål."_

She was touched that he'd toasted her mother. Knowing Sven as well as she once had, she knew that he wasn't doing it as a ploy to try to win her back. He was genuinely sorry about her passing. So she lifted her own shotglass in solidarity. "Cheers. _Santé."_

The vodka went down smoothly, and their knuckles brushed together as they placed their glasses down on the table. Lenora pulled away quickly, fearing not only that she'd lead him on, but worse, that she'd also like the feel of his hand against hers. That would cause nothing but problems.

"Lenora," he started wearily, "we need to talk about what happened on Arus."

Before she could reply, the waitress appeared in front of them. "If you're ready, I'll open this bottle," she told them, producing an unnecessary corkscrew. Looking over at Lenora briefly, Sven gave a quick nod, and she uncorked the champagne. Deftly pouring the Clicquot into two champagne flutes, she handed a glass to each of them. It reminded Lenora of the night she first met Jon on the Explorer. "Looks like a special occasion," she winked. "Is this your first date?"

"We're married," Sven answered quickly.

"Ooh, an anniversary, then," the waitress answered quickly. "That's so nice. Congratulations!"

Lenora blinked in disbelief as the ditzy, presumptive waitress took their dinner order. She ordered the black bass with a Tea Room salad to start; he decided on the chicken Kiev and foie gras appetizer. When the waitress finally disappeared into the kitchen, she smacked his upper arm. "Sven Holgersson, what in seven hells was _that _about?"

"What?" he retorted maddeningly. "We _are _married. Just not to each other."

"I hope you keep that information in the back of your mind as dinner continues."

"_Elskede, _that information is always on my mind, front and center." He sighed, picking up his champagne flute and lifting it to his lips. "I never forget about the fact that you're married to a man other than me. It's killing me on every level."

"What would your wife say if she heard you say that? Princess Romelle, correct?"

She watched as Sven froze in thought. Finally, putting his flute back down on the table, he asked slowly, "Why do you care so much about Romelle? If you'd ever met her, you'd know that it's obvious she doesn't care about me."

"Then why did you marry her?"

"Because I thought you were dead, Lenora." He buried his face in his hands as he remembered his desperate attempts to find her after they'd achieved victory over Doom. "Romelle and I were both enslaved on Doom together, and we worked so hard from the inside to free the captives, to take Zarkon and Lotor down." He shuddered as he remembered his time as a slave on that miserable planet, not once, but twice. "When it was all over, I came back to the Garrison to find you. And...you were gone." He looked deeply hurt as he told her the next statement. "Someone told me you were dead. Someone else told me you were in the Void. Yet someone else told me that you were the most wanted woman on Wade's hit list. And far too many people told me to stop looking for you. It was for my own good."

"Gods." Despite every fiber in her being telling her to stop, Lenora reached over and grabbed Sven's hand, squeezing it. "That's horrible. I'm so sorry, my love." She paused, and she could see the hurt in his eyes as if it was brand-new. She had always loved his slate-blue eyes. "That would have been right around the time that Jon sent me into hiding."

"Your husband." He muttered the word darkly as though he hated the man. "You know, the sad thing is, I like him. I actually like him. If it weren't for the fact that he's your husband, we'd get along famously."

The waitress reappeared with the salad and the foie gras, and once she'd left the table, they began to eat. Lenora could barely taste her food; she had no appetite, sitting next to Sven. She knew she would never leave Jon, but she couldn't ignore her feelings for the man who was once her entire world. She loved him, after all. He was The One, at least according to Christiane, and whenever she was around him, she did stupid things.

She would not do stupid things this time. This time, she was married, and she knew that he was a married father. There was too much at stake to risk a night in bed for.

"How's the foie gras?"

He smiled. "I'm afraid I'm not much of a judge. After spending so much time on Crydor, everything tastes delicious."

"Hmm. I suppose it would." She wished she could taste her salad. She wished that she wasn't so anxious or nervous. And she really, _really _wished that Jon had chosen to accompany her to dinner.

"So. Arus." He placed his fork down on the table and pushed his half-empty plate away. "That was the best night of my life, _Elskede_. Being with you again after so many years...I earned that night. I deserved that night."

"I know." She pushed her barely-touched salad away, wishing she hadn't ordered so much food. It would only go to waste at the rate she was going.

"Lenora, I don't think you even know the extent of what I went through." He urgently clasped her hand, scooting closer to her in the booth. "When that witch Haggar's cat bit me, and then her robeast struck me..." He let his voice trail off, closing his eyes at the memory and pain. "You were the only thing that kept me going during my recovery. I swear to it."

"I know. You were in bad shape, I know." She didn't want to cry. Lenora prided herself on holding in her tears, on keeping a dry eye under even the worst circumstances. But now, next to Sven, she didn't know if she stood a chance. "I was with Graham when we found out about your injuries. I almost died with you."

"Oh, _Elskede_, no."

"I went to Ebb, you know." She looked away and up at the ceiling, focusing on its gilded carvings. "Morgan and I, we both went. I spent ten days laying in bed next to you. You were in such bad shape, you were surrounded by those stabilization cages to hold your spine together..."

Sven looked shocked. "You were there? You were on Ebb?" A look of horror filled his eyes. "You saw me like that?"

"Yes," she admitted, broken. "The worst ten days of my life. I wanted to die right there next to you." She swallowed. "I wanted the ground to open up and suck us both in. I didn't know if you would ever wake up, and I didn't know how I could go on if you didn't." She picked up her champagne flute and took a large gulp. Champagne really _was _a celebratory-events drink; now, in a time of sorrow, the Clicquot almost tasted foul.

There was a profound silence between them. Finally, he spoke up again. "That wasn't the worst part. The worst part was when Doom invaded Ebb and took the inhabitants as slaves. You know what they call Ebb now, right?"

"The planet of lost healers." Lenora closed her eyes. "I know all too well, Sven."

For a moment, eternity shifted. Their lives shifted. He was no longer Romelle's husband and Erik's father; she was no longer Jon's wife and the Space Marshal of the Galaxy Alliance. They were simply Sven and Len, young and in love, waiting for their lives to begin together. Waiting to be reunited after a long absence.

That part scared her the most.


	36. Tattoo

_Author's Note__: I love this chapter for a multitude of reasons. I hope you all do, too._

_Thank you so much to everyone who's reading and following along. I love you guys for it, and you know I have the best readers! As always, I own nothing but my crazy characters._

_To Emie Mac - You'll see what the two amigos have been up to in this chapter. I hope you enjoy what they've been doing!_

_To MSSNC - You're so right. Even princesses aren't perfect._

_To Wade Wells - Hoo-rah! I am so glad you approve! Our Allura, she's one tough cookie._

_**Title Song: "Tattoo" by Jordin Sparks**_

* * *

It was later than he expected when he finally arrived home. Wondering where everyone was, David headed straight for the kitchen, looking for signs of life. Passing the living room, he found Christiane seated on the couch. Her computer was open in front of her, and she giggled as she checked out an array of wedding dresses.

"Is it going to be a long dress or a short dress, Love?" he asked, leaning over her and planting a kiss on the top of her head.

"I haven't decided yet," she answered, smiling up at him. "I could go either way."

"Whichever dress you choose, Love, I'll pay for it." He grinned. "I can't let Jon show me up too much. After all, you and Jeff have been living with me for _how _long? I think I know you better than he does."

Christiane leapt up off the couch, nearly knocking the computer over, and threw her arms around David. "Oh my God, really?" she squealed. "David, you are too good to be true. I mean it. You are too wonderful."

"Hey, I could say the same about you." David was never a gushy, emotional type of guy - he _was _British, after all - but he made an exception for Christiane. They had a special bond, a surrogate parent-child bond, and he would always take care of her as if she were his own daughter. Even though there were only six years between them, it made a huge difference.

"David, I wanted to ask you a question before you go upstairs," she began. "There wasn't supposed to be a father-daughter dance at the wedding, for obvious reasons, but I was thinking...I'll make an exception if you'll dance with me."

"I'd be honored, Love."

"Good." She nuzzled her face into his neck. For anyone other than Morgan, it would have been a wholly inappropriate gesture, yet because it was Christiane, it was innocent. She had missed having a father growing up. He ventured a guess that she would have been a complete Daddy's girl had her parents not died when she was so young. He also guessed that he never would have been married to Morgan had that been the case; from what he knew, Keith's commitment and intimacy issues stemmed from his parents' deaths, and if they had lived, he was sure that his wife would have married the Voltron captain.

God had an ironic sense of humor.

"So," she continued after a moment of quiet, "you'd better get upstairs. Morgan's got something to show you. Oh, and check in with Jeff later, too. He's been looking at real estate, and I figured you would know more than he does on that subject."

"Oh. All right, then." He waited until she had seated herself back on the couch and was leafing between two dresses. "Good night, Love."

"Good night, Dave. See you later."

David climbed the stairs and passed Jeff's room, where he was seated in front of the computer, thoroughly engrossed in his real estate search. Deciding not to bother him just yet, he opened the door to the master bedroom instead, not sure if he was ready for what his wife had to show him.

Morgan was sprawled out on their bed, laying on her stomach. She was wearing purple low-rise pajama pants with a cropped white bralette, looking up at him as though she'd been waiting for him to walk through the door. Her lower back was bandaged in gauze and medical tape.

"Oh, that _cannot _be good," he muttered, exasperated.

"Relax, Baby. I was just keeping a promise to myself, that's all."

"Morgan, you got another tattoo?" he asked incredulously.

She shook her head, finding amusement in her husband's dismay. "No, Baby. I promised myself a long time ago that I would eventually get the "K" tattoo filled in. After everything we went through on Arus and everything we went through to get Chris back, I decided it was finally time to finish my tattoo." She grinned wickedly. "Jeff came with me. I figured it was only right, since he was there with me when I got the original."

"You're both bloody crazy, you know that?"

"Hey, I'm a woman of my word." She smiled seductively. "Now, would you do me a favor and rub some ointment into my new tattoo? I'd do it myself, but seeing as how it's on my lower back, it's a little tough."

"Oh, for crying out loud." David clenched his teeth together as he grabbed the tube of ointment off the bureau. He had accepted, a long time ago, that his wife had tattooed her ex-boyfriend's initial on her lower back. He could see it in his mind: a "K" in block script, surrounded by a small, trailing vine of leaves. Black outlines only, no color. He couldn't imagine what she had done to it. Filled it in, perhaps? Or worse?

Slowly, he peeled the bandage off her skin. Then, as the larger, finished tattoo came into view, he gasped.

The "K" had been filled in, but more importantly, it was no longer a "K" in block script. It had become an "R," with gentle scrolls at the ends which made it anything but block script. The trailing vine had been extended to form a heart around the "R," filled in with black, but accented with flecks of blue. _Blue Mecha_, he understood quickly. She had finished her tattoo, but she had updated it to reflect her life as it was now.

"Oh, Morgan."

"Do you like it, Baby?" she asked sweetly. "After seeing Keith again, I decided it was time for me to finish and upgrade my tattoo. And it was easy enough to turn a "K" into an "R." No more "K." It was time for me to be imprinted as yours, not his."

David shook his head in disbelief as he began to rub the ointment into the small of her back. "I...I don't know what to say, Baby. You know I never had a problem with your tattoo, I just chalked it up to the stupid things we all do when we're twenty-one."

"Dave, I'm yours. I love you so much, and I feel terrible that you went through everything you had to on Arus." She scooted to her knees and took his face in her hands. "I mean it. We've been together for almost ten years, and...I could never love anyone else the way I love you." She brought his lips to hers for a quick kiss. "I mean it. I love you. Forever."

One half of his mouth curled into a smirk. "Gods, I love you. You know that, right?"

"I do. I'm lucky that way."

"Good. It bears repeating. I love you, Mrs. Rackens." Then, carefully, he lifted her bralette off, fully intending to make love to his wife in the manner she'd silently asked for. It was only fitting. They had to celebrate her new tattoo, after all.

* * *

Keith gaped at his girlfriend, open-mouthed, as he processed what she'd just told him. Brent Halix was married? That made Allura an adulteress, or at the very least, the proverbial other woman. It also made her flawed. But, as Keith had discovered with Christiane, maybe flawed wasn't such a bad thing.

"Please don't look at me like that, Keith," she begged him. "I knew he was married, but at least he was separated from his wife at the time. I never would have slept with a blatantly married man, I swear."

"Wow. Just...wow." Keith put his hand to the back of his head, a move he had subconsciously picked up from Jeff. "Of all the men on Arus, you chose a bartender who was separated from his wife. That's priceless." He suddenly burst out laughing. "Wow, and I thought Nanny had a problem with _me _being a hooligan..."

She smacked him, but she did it with a laugh. "Brent's _not _a hooligan," she admonished, false exasperation filling her voice. "And neither are any of my teammates. I don't care what Nanny thinks, _none _of you are hooligans."

"That's good to know." Keith placed his empty glass back on the table. He knew that his lips and tongue were blue, and that made it all the more hysterical. "Because I love you, Allura. I don't care about Morgan or Brent, and I sure as seven hells don't care about what Nanny thinks. I want to be with you, and we're going to make it past this, whatever the heck this is."

She smiled. Laughed. Sipped. "You're right, you know that? We've been through some tough times, Keith, but I want to work past them, and I want us to work past them together." She paused, and her emerald gaze turned serious. "Keith, from the moment you five landed on my planet, I've known that the only person for me to be with was you. You just _felt _right. And though I shouldn't have trusted you with my life and my planet's survival right then, I did." She stopped to take a long sip and, with that, finish off her drink. "I'm rambling. Stop me."

He smiled broadly, his turquoise eyes searching her out. "I knew then, too, Allura. I knew it then, too. And I waited. I waited a long time to tell you anything." Sadly, he looked down at the table. "I was going to tell you that I loved you that night on Earth. The night the lions went crazy. And then, obviously, once Wade had his hand in everything and I had to run off to find Black, I hated myself for not telling you how I felt. I pictured what you were doing on Arus without me to watch over you." Looking back up at her, he continued, "I'm not ashamed to admit that I worried every day. Even more than my own safety, I worried for yours."

"I was safe on Arus. For the time, at least, Lotor and Zarkon were dead, and Doom had fallen. There was no immediate threat from Wade, or from anywhere else. But..." She blinked her eyes at him. She looked innocent, despite having an affair with a married - if legally separated - older man during those years. She sighed. "But I wasn't happy. It should have been enough that my planet and my people were safe, but I wasn't happy. Without my teammates, and worse, without you, I wasn't happy."

"I know. I wasn't either." He tipped his empty glass against hers. "Just so you know, Allura, I've always thought of you as mine. No matter what happened, or what might have happened, you always would have been mine."

"Didn't you say something like that to Morgan?" she teased.

"No. That's different." His back straightened. "What I had with Morgan and what I have with you are two different things. I'm in a better place now than I ever was, so the two relationships can't even be compared. It's like comparing water and wine." He winked. "Or Ciroc vodka to Arusian tequila."

"I'll remember you said that."

"Sure you will. I hope it's conveniently at my sister's wedding." He wrapped his arm around her and placed a kiss on her forehead, trailing down the side of her face, then onto her lips. "Seriously though, Allura, you've been imprinted on my heart since that day we crash-landed and I saw you coming down those stairs. I mean it when I say you always would've been mine. Even if Nanny and Coran had made you marry a prince, you would've been mine."

"I love you, Keith."

"I love you more, Allura. I'll love you 'til the end of time." He sighed, satisfied, and drew her in closer. "You will always be mine, no matter what happens. No matter what springs up in the future or out of the past."

"Good." She nestled comfortably against his body, and for some reason, Keith could feel Christiane there with them, smiling in approval.

* * *

Lenora had hardly eaten her dinner. How could she when her stomach was in knots? Sven watched worriedly as she proceeded to push her black bass around on her plate, yet ordered a bottle of Grgich Hills cabernet sauvignon. She was already a shot of vodka and a glass of champagne in, and now she was down a glass and a half of red wine.

"You'd better eat something, _Elskede_," he advised, concern thick in his voice as he cut off a piece of chicken and speared it with his fork. "I don't want you to get sick. Do you not like your dinner? Here, have some of mine." He held out his fork.

"I can't eat, Sven. It's you." She shook her head.

"Why? What did I do?"

"You're here. You're right in front of me. You insisted I come to dinner at the blasted Tea Room, you dredged up all these emotions I've been trying to hold back. So if you think I'm drinking too much, it's your own frickin' fault." She took a long sip of the wine, not caring how badly it stained her teeth.

The last time she had been so drunk during a pricey dinner, it was Jon's thirty-ninth birthday. They had been in one of the most expensive restaurants in the city of Paris, and she had just worked up the nerve to tell him that she wanted to be his girlfriend. It had taken her three glasses of montrachet to do it. She certainly didn't need a repeat of that night, especially not with Sven guest-starring in her husband's role.

He inhaled with a sharp gust. "Lenora, stop it. Don't let whatever it is you feel for me hurt you." The emotion in his slate-blue eyes was startling. _"Love deg."_

"Oh, Gods, Sven. You're gonna see me to an early grave, you know that?"

"How is that anything different from what you've told me?" He slammed his silverware back on the table, hard enough for the people in the adjacent booths to take notice. "You told me as soon as the Explorer landed that you still loved me and always would. What changed between then and now?"

She looked up to the sky and groaned as if her mother could hear her and lend her some strength. "Nothing, Sven. Okay? Nothing has changed. I still love you, and I'm always gonna love you. You're the One - Christiane told me that herself. But we're both married to other people, and you have a kid, so there's not gonna be any sort of happy ending for the two of us." She picked up her glass of red wine again and took a very long swallow. Then, softly, she continued, "And you need to know...despite the fact that you're etched on my heart, I love my husband."

"Really." It was more of a comment than a question. "How does your husband feel about you telling another man that you love him?" He smirked a pained, sarcastic, gloating smirk. "How does your _husband _feel about the fact that you slept with another man before you married him?"

Lenora gasped. "Kelly's the only one who knows. And I'd prefer it to stay that way." She finished the rest of the wine in her glass in one gulp, and then refilled it. Great. She was well on her way to becoming drunker than drunk. It was a good thing she could call Carlo to bring her home to the triplex.

Home to Jon.

He scoffed, pushing his plate away angrily. "I would never tell anyone, _Elskede. _That's our business, no one else's. Truthfully, I'm hurt that you would even question my loyalty to you or even how to keep my private affairs private." He let out a low curse in Norwegian.

"I don't question it. I just wanted to make sure we were both on the same page." She glared back at him. "And stop cursing me out. You forgot, I know the bad words in Norwegian, too."

At her statement, Sven chuckled. He was still in love with this woman, no matter how maddening or annoying she could be. He needed to get her alone, and obviously, being in a restaurant wasn't cutting it, no matter how secluded they might be. He flagged their waitress over. "Check, please."

"Are you sure?" the waitress asked, eyeing their barely-touched dinner plates.

"More than sure." Lenora looked at her. "I've got it."

Sven's mouth dropped open. "But -"

"It's on the Garrison, Sven. It's your reward for rescuing Christiane. And if _I _don't have the authority to sign off on that, then no one else does, either." She shook her head, refusing to glance his way.

"That's not really why I asked you out here, Lenora."

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

When the waitress returned with their bill, Lenora plopped the Garrison's credit card down and handed everything back to her. She sipped at the rest of her wine uncomfortably while she waited for the receipt. The bottle of wine was less than half full. It seemed a shame to waste what was left in the bottle. Then again, if she drank it herself, she would be in no shape to go home, and in even less shape to fend off Sven's advances. Provided he advanced her, of course.

She signed off on the receipt once the waitress returned, then deftly - if slightly drunkenly - slid out of the booth. Once again, she was reminded that she was imperfect. Lenora could never measure up to Romelle. Sven was better off without her. Besides, she loved Jon. And Jon loved her with every breath in his body. She didn't need Sven.

She walked away from the booth without even saying good-bye.

"No. _No. _You do _not _get to just walk away from me, Lenora Marie Stensson." Sven's tone was insistent as he followed her through the restaurant. "You may be the Space Marshal, but I have waited too long for this moment, and I won't have you writing me off!" He grasped her wrist, and she looked back at him, her eyes slightly glazed over from the alcohol.

"Then what do you want, Sven Holgersson?"

"You."

With an exasperated shriek, she exited the Tea Room and stood out on the sidewalk. Spring. It was springtime. The weather hadn't quite warmed up yet, and she was grateful for her ballet wrap. "Like I said before, you're gonna see me to an early grave. Why can't you let me be?"

"Because I am the man who loves you. I am the man you're supposed to be with." His eyes glowed ferociously, and she swore she saw flashes of purple behind his irises. "I can't let you go. I don't know how."

"Figure it out." Then she turned to leave him.

It would have been the perfect bush-off. She had the perfect response, and she had the perfect attitude and the perfect body language. Unfortunately, she was unsteady from the alcohol, and the heel of her Christian Louboutin shoe caught in the sidewalk grate. Lenora went crashing down to the ground in the most undignified manner.

_Blast it, _she thought miserably as she looked down the length of her leg. The pavement had torn up her right leg, from right beneath her knee to right above her ankle, and her skin was raw and bleeding.

"Well, _that's _not good," Sven noted. Then, with a sigh, he knelt down to pick her up. "Come on, _Elskede_. I can't send you back to your husband looking like this. As much as he likes me, he'll have my hide for this."

Numb, she leaned against his shoulder as he hailed a taxi. "Where are we going?" she asked.

He grinned as a taxi stopped in front of them. "Where do you think? We're going back to that hotel you so wonderfully provided me with."


	37. Fallen

_Author's Note__: This was a really, REALLY tough chapter for me to write. I didn't want to rush it, and I certainly wanted to do the Sven/Len storyline justice. Trust me, I cursed the fact that I was out of Ciroc vodka._

_Thank you to everyone who's reading! Your feedback and comments mean more to me than I can say._

_To Emie Mac - Exactly right, Jeff would've had more money if VV hadn't been grounded. Blech. Good thing it's cheap rent at the Rackens' household._

_To Sally On - What do you mean, wine, vodka OR antacid? We're not mixing?_

_To bknbu - No, no engagement between the princess and Captain Crankypants. But don't worry, just because it didn't happen yet doesn't mean it won't. :D_

_**Title Song: "Fallen" by Sarah McLachlan**_

* * *

Once dinner was over, Erimar eloquently thanked the staff and his company for the delicious meal, then stood and extended his arm to Romelle in one seamless motion. Emma's mouth blatantly gaped open as her sister-in-law adoringly took the prince's hand and allowed him to help her up and escort her out of the room. Romelle looked over her shoulder briefly as she passed through the doorway. "Good night, Bandor. Good night, Emma. Have a pleasant evening."

Bandor nearly choked on his reply. "Good night, Sister."

Once Erimar and Romelle had left the room, the young king looked over at his new bride. "Emmy," he whispered across the table, "what in the universe is going on between them? Romelle looks at him the way she used to look at Sven."

Emma didn't want to tell him.

Outside of the dining room, Erimar gripped Romelle's arm. "You know, your brother's not stupid," he offered nonchalantly, his face smug and rosy from his activities with the princess over the course of the day. "He and his wife both know what's going on between us."

"Of course not," Romelle countered, much in denial. "We've been careful. There's no way either of them would know what we've been doing."

"Hmm." The prince closed his eyes for a moment, patting her hand. "Though I do think we need to talk, Romy. And not just about Bandor and Emma, either. About Erik. About your husband." He paused to shoot her that swoon-worthy look that could make her drop to her knees if she wasn't careful. "About _us_."

Immediately, she froze. "I thought we've already done that," she mused, shaking her head. "I can't leave my husband, Erim. He's a sick man, and he'll never recover if I leave him and take our son away from him. It's too much of a mess."

Erimar swallowed. "He doesn't treat you well. He's not well-liked by your people. And he doesn't have a drop of royal blood in him." He snorted. "That barbarian doesn't deserve you, Romy. He doesn't even come close."

A smile played on her lips. "He's not a barbarian. He's a _Viking. _There's a difference."

He rolled his eyes. "Whether or not the title makes a difference, it doesn't change who he is. You said it yourself, he's a sick man. He's a lousy husband, and he doesn't love you. Not the way you think he does."

"Yes. I know there's someone else." Romelle swallowed. It didn't hurt as much now as it had in the past; now that she'd gotten a taste of the handsome prince from Tyvel, she felt that she had evened the score between herself and her husband.

"He loves her, you know." Erimar hauled his words as a weapon. "Space Marshal Stensson. Or Mrs. Hawkins. Whatever you want to call her, he's in love with her. God knows he always has been, and he always will be." He shot her a look of pity. "Get out of the marriage while you still can, Romy. Don't let this man drag you down. If you stay with him, sooner or later he _will _make all of your lives miserable, and I can't guarantee that I will be there to help pick up the pieces when he does."

She inhaled. He made perfectly good sense, and there were some days she dreaded seeing Sven. That being so, he was still her husband, he would always be Erik's father, and they had once been the champions of Pollux together. It was hard to forget that.

"Erimar, I love you."

The prince gasped, his olive-green eyes widening in shock. "Oh, Romy. Come to Tyvel with me." He took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. Romelle allowed herself to be romanced, allowed herself to enjoy the passion and desire that swept through her body. Then, as Erimar gazed down at her lovingly, she continued, "And now you need to leave."

"What?" He looked hurt.

"I wasn't lying when I told you that I love you. But right now, I cannot - and _will not _- leave my husband. So now you need to leave." She sighed. "The only way I'll be able to process my feelings is to sort them out by myself, without either of you around to cloud my judgment."

Though he didn't like it, Erimar nodded stiffly and honored her request. "I won't see you again before I leave, Romelle," he sneered in reply, quickly dropping the use of her nickname. "I'm sure your brother will be pleased to see me go. Send my regards to your sister-in-law; she is the most pleasant of the people I've encountered on your planet."

Romelle didn't bother responding, and she didn't watch him return to his room to gather his belongings, either. Instead, she headed straight to Castle Control, where she punched in the numbers to make contact with Galaxy Garrison.

Whether they liked it or not, she was going to bring Sven home. She needed to hash their relationship out and see if it could be salvaged before she did any further damage. She had cheated, and she had a sneaking suspicion that he had, too.

The had both fallen to rock bottom. Now, they needed to get back up.

* * *

"Cripes, I can't believe I actually did that," Lenora groaned as she sat down on the bed. She took the Louboutin heel off her right foot, then examined it carefully. "I can't believe I fell on West 57th. Well, at least I didn't hurt the shoes. My body will recover eventually, but my shoes won't."

"Funny how you're so concerned about your shoes. It must be the alcohol talking." Sven came back from the bathroom with a damp washcloth and made his way to the bed. Sinking to his knees, he muttered, "You really did a number on your leg, _Elskede_. I don't think it will scar, but you'll get an infection if I don't clean it up."

"Thanks in advance for that." The warm, soapy washcloth felt good against her bloodied scrape. She leaned back on the bed and closed her eyes, her head spinning from the amount she'd had to drink - and the food she didn't eat - at dinner. She was suddenly terribly tired, and vaguely aware of Sven's hands and lips against her shin and calf as he cleaned away the blood and gravel. "Hey, what are you doing down there?"

"Nothing. You're all better." He tossed placed the washcloth on top of the nightstand, then laid down next to her on the bed. Their legs dangled over the side. It was the biggest bed they'd ever been in together, bigger even than the bed they'd used on Arus. "Is it stinging?"

"No. It's okay."

"Too bad," he teased. "I'll try harder next time."

She laughed.

Their relationship had always had an easiness about it, and she had always loved spending time with him. She couldn't remember her life before him, and in all honesty, she really didn't _want _to remember her formative years. But this was not right. It had to end. If she didn't get out of this hotel room soon, something bad would happen, and she'd made a promise that she would remain faithful to Jon for the rest of her life.

Sven turned onto his side, propping his head up with his hand, gazing at her lovingly as her chestnut hair fanned over the comforter. "I love you, Lenora."

"We've been over this already, Holgersson."

He paused curiously, studying her face. "Leave your husband."

Her eyes popped open in alarm. "What did you just say?" she gasped. "Please tell me I didn't hear you right. Please tell me you didn't just ask me to leave my husband."

Sven sighed, then carefully reached into his pants pocket. "I don't wear this around my neck anymore, for obvious reasons," he stated as he held the object out in front of her. "And I know it doesn't compare to the diamonds that Hawkins put on your finger. But it's yours, from me, and I want you to wear it."

The little platinum Tiffany band gleamed in the overhead lighting. Lenora looked crestfallen as her gaze traveled from the ring to his face. His slate-blue eyes were so full of hope and desperation. It was going to kill him to hear the truth, and it was going to kill her to tell it to him.

"Sven, I can't wear it." She rolled onto her side to face him, and shook her head. "I don't wear yours anymore. Or Aidan's cornicello, or even my mother's cross. I have to leave my past in my past, and as much as I hate to say it, you're a part of my past. A really big part of it."

"Then why did you come back to my room with me on Arus? I told you at dinner, that was the best night of my life. Watching that backless dress slide to the ground, spending hours in bed with you...I can't get it out of my head."

"Try, Sven. You have to try." She pleaded with him earnestly in the hopes that maybe he would be able to move past her. "We're not cadets anymore. It's not the same."

"No, it's not," he agreed softly. "But I still love you. And you still love me. You told me that you will _always _love me."

That was her cue. Raising herself upright, she gazed at him mournfully. "Sven, it's true that I will always love you, because I _do _love you. I do." She bit her lip painfully, drawing blood. "But I'm _in _love with Jon."

She heard how sharply he drew his breath, and she knew it would have been less painful for him if she'd shot a bullet into his heart. "I'm sorry, Sven. I am."

Opening his eyes, he lifted himself up off the mattress, stalking towards the hot tub. How had she not noticed the hot tub before? Studying it further, she saw it was full of water, steam rising from the surface, ready to be used. Dozens of red rose petals floated on the surface, and no fewer than ten lit candles were perched on the edge of the tub. She noticed a bowl of stemmed strawberries and a bottle of Moët & Chandon 'Imperial' champagne - the same champagne her mother had ordered to toast them with on the night they'd gotten engaged.

He had prepared well for this. She had to give him that much.

"Sven."

He sat down at the edge of the hot tub and buried his face in his hands. "Oh, _Elskede_, I never thought you'd say no. I thought for sure..."

As his voice trailed off, she too sat up on the bed. Carefully, she slid her feet back into her heels and made her way over to him. _"Vi har gått for langt,"_ she whispered sadly, taking his face in her hands. _"Jeg må forlate." _

He removed his hands from his face and stared at her intensely with those eyes she loved. There was rage and sorrow, loathing and disbelief, behind the slate blue. _"Deretter gå," _he instructed, willing down the emotions in his voice.

She gave him one quick nod, then bent her knees so that she was at eye level with him. _"Adjø." _Then, placing her hands on either side of him on the tub, she brushed her lips against his. His beard tickled her chin, and she focused on that small detail as she pulled away - it was the only thing that kept her from going back to him and doing something she would regret. She turned and headed for the door, afraid to look back.

Sven couldn't watch as the door closed behind her. Instead, he chose to focus on her wedding band, the one which he'd slipped over the top joint of his pinkie. He might not have her, but he would always have her ring. At the rate he was going, he would cling to whatever shred of Lenora Stensson he could get.

* * *

They were already asleep in bed when her phone rang. Kelly yawned as she reached for it, and Taye groaned in his sleep before rolling over. That was the worst part of being the First Officer. When the Space Marshal was unavailable, the First Officer had to deal with whatever came through.

"Asimov," she answered.

"First Officer. It's Lieutenant Brown."

"Brown. Why the late call?"

"I've got the night shift, and we've, uh, got a transmission from a disgruntled princess."

_A disgruntled princess? In the middle of the night? Are you freakin' kidding me? _"Who is it, Brown?"

"It's Princess Romelle of Planet Pollux."

_Sven's wife? Oh, seven hells. _"What does she want?" she asked, suddenly forgetting about sleep.

"She's looking for her husband. She says she's sending a Polluxian transport and guard to the Garrison tomorrow, and she expects him to leave Earth and come home. Problem is, I don't know how to get in touch with him. That's classified information." He paused. "That's where _you _come in."

Kelly nodded, knowing that Brown couldn't see her. "All right. Tell Princess Romelle that I will deal with it first thing in the morning. I will have her husband on the Polluxian transport tomorrow. I'll see to this fiasco personally." She plopped her head back down on the pillow and closed her eyes. "Asimov out."

As she placed the phone back on the nightstand, Taye mumbled, "What the heck was _that _about?"

She sighed. "Something I've gotta deal with in the morning."

* * *

_**Vi har gått for langt: **"We have gone too far"_

_**Jeg må forlate:** "I have to leave"_

_**Deretter gå: **"Then go"_

_**Adjø: **"Good-bye"_


	38. Run

_Author's Note__: So everybody seemed pleased that Romelle sent Erimar packing. Remember how I always say that these characters write the story for me? Well, my original plan was for Erimar to leave Pollux on his own accord when he found out that Sven was coming home, but Romelle stepped in and said, "No, I wanna kick him out, Kath. AND I also want to demand that my husband come home." Who am I to turn down a princess' request?_

_To Emie Mac - One of the infamous floormates will re-emphasize your statement: Things are different when you're grown up._

_To bknbu - In the end, I liked Len with Jon too much to break them up. (Wade Wells and Emie Mac did, too, along with you & me.) Now let's see what we can do with Sven & Romelle..._

_To Sally On - Talk about hitting rock bottom, indeed. Well, now that they're there, there's nowhere else to go but up, right?_

_To Wade Wells - I had a feeling you'd be cheering when Len told the Viking that she was in love with her husband! ;) And after you read the first part of this chapter, you'll fall in love with Jon a little more._

_**Title Song: "Run" by Snow Patrol**_

* * *

_Lenora slid her key card into the hotel room door. Even though Jon, her significant other - she hesitated to use the term __boyfriend__ for a man who had just turned forty-one - had inherited a three-bedroom condo in Las Vegas, he had insisted upon booking the Salon Suite at the Wynn hotel for his visit. They hadn't seen each other in four months, and the last time they spoke, he told her that he wanted everything to be special._

_She'd left his condo, where she had been hiding out recently, and gone to the hotel after receiving his message. Per his instructions, she'd gone to the front desk to obtain her key card, and taken the elevator up to the top floor to his favorite suite. Now she let herself into the suite and looked around expectantly for him. He was nowhere to be found._

"_Jon?" she called out._

"_In the bath, __mon ange__," he replied. "Come join me."_

_She shook her head, amused - it was such a Jon Hawkins request. She placed her purse down in front of the huge viewing monitor in the sitting room and eased her way through the bedroom and into the bathroom. There were red rose petals sprinkled on top of the bed. She cocked her eyebrow at it in interest, but said nothing._

_She found him seated in the hot tub, surrounded by a few lit candles and a bottle of uncorked Veuve Clicquot chilling in a bucket. His eyes lit up when he saw her. "Lenora. Oh, I've missed you. Come join me in the tub."_

_She bit her lip to keep from crying out. She'd missed him, too. She saw him only rarely, whenever he could sneak away from Wade and the Garrison under false pretenses. "Oh, __mon coeur__, you're just trying to get my clothes off already," she teased him. After she twisted her hair up in a hasty bun, she stripped her off her clothing and joined him in the hot water, wearing only the diamond stud earrings he'd given her for her thirtieth birthday._

_As she settled down in the tub across from him, tangling her legs with his, Jon poured the Clicquot into two champagne flutes and handed her one. "My God, I have missed you," he told her, clinking his flute with hers. "I can't even begin to tell you how much I've missed you."_

"_I know. I've missed you too." She took a sip, then leaned forward to kiss him. She could feel that she spilled some champagne into the hot tub as she did, but she didn't care._

"_Put your glass down and come here," he instructed her._

"_Of course." She set her champagne down on the side of the tub, and Jon pulled her onto his lap. With his right arm wrapped around her waist, she leaned her head back on his shoulder and closed her eyes. From behind her, he kissed the side of her face, her neck, and her shoulder as the warm water bubbled over their bodies. It felt like heaven._

"_I don't ever want to get out of this tub," she murmured dreamily._

"_Me neither."_

_They sat there in silence for a moment, and she felt him take her left hand in his. "Lenora," he told her, "Wade's reign over the Alliance is about to be over. I haven't told you, but the Voltron Force on Arus is back - to Wade's dismay, of course - and they've defeated him on a few occasions. He's teetering on the breaking point." He paused to kiss her neck again. It felt divine, and she shivered with pleasure. "I don't think he can hold out much longer. When that breaking point occurs and I feel it's safe, I can take you home."_

_Home. She hadn't been home to New York in four years. She'd been in hiding for what felt like forever. In all that time, she hadn't seen her friends, which was the worst of all. They were her family, and she missed them. It was a good thing she had Jon now. She owed him her life. She owed him __everything__. _

_Somehow, she'd even managed to fall in love with him. __That__ had been the best part of this mess._

"_So, when you finally come home and take the reins of the Alliance as Space Marshal, what do you have planned? What's on your to-do list?"_

_She smiled, her eyes still closed. "I've got a few ideas, but nothing's set in stone yet. I won't believe it until it actually happens."_

"_Hmm." He kissed her shoulder again, tenderly gripping her hand in his, and pulled her closer to him. It was a deeply intimate moment, and she felt safer just because he was there. She was so comfortable, she could have fallen asleep on top of him. Then she felt him slide something onto her finger. "Tell me, is 'Becoming my wife' anywhere on your list?"_

_Her eyes popped open, and she turned her head to look at him. "Jon? What are you saying?"_

"_Well." He grinned at her mischievously. "I'm asking you to marry me."_

_Without even looking at the ring he'd slipped onto her finger, she used her left hand to press his face closer to hers. She kissed him hard. Then, with a broad smile, she replied, "Yes. My answer is yes. I will marry you, Jon. __Je t'aime__."_

"_Je t'aime plus__, Lenora. Do you even want to look at your ring?"_

"_Not that it matters. __You__ are what matters."_

_He laughed. "Do me a favor and look at it anyway, will you?"_

_She brought her left hand between them so they could both look at the ring together. It was a Tiffany solitaire, the Lucida-cut, set in platinum. It was breathtaking. And it was huge._

"_It's two and a half carats," he answered her unasked question. "Do you like it? I sweated over this ring for three months."_

"_Jon, it is perfect. It is stunning. I love it." She smiled up at him. "But I love you more."_

_He picked up their forgotten champagne flutes, and they toasted their life and their future together. He kissed her, his new fiancée, then picked her up and lifted her out of the tub. After drying them off with some of the hotel's plush towels, he picked her back up and carried her over to the bed to consummate their engagement. He felt like the luckiest man in the world._

_As he laid her down on top of the rose petals, she felt a pang of guilt surge through her body. No. Not now, of all times. Sven. It was supposed to be Sven, not Jon. She was supposed to marry Sven. Tears stung her eyes unbidden, and he wiped them away gently._

"_Jon?" she whispered. "__Aime-moi__."_

"_Of course," he answered. As he placed his body over hers, she felt the guilt washing away. For now. But she knew it would be back._

* * *

When Sven woke up, his head was pounding so hard that he could hear it. He was in bad shape. Once Lenora left, he couldn't fall asleep, and he began to guzzle the champagne he had ready for them by the hot tub. Straight out of the bottle. It wasn't enough, and he vaguely remembered ordering another bottle of champagne from room service. He hadn't drunk the entire new bottle, but he had drunk enough to pass out.

It was the only way he'd been able to pass out.

As he struggled to open his eyes, the first thing that came into focus was the almost-empty bottle of cheap champagne he'd ordered. His mouth felt dry and tasted sour; it seemed as though the alcohol was still running through his veins. He'd fallen asleep in his clothes, which were rumpled and damp with sweat. His hair was disheveled, his beard was matted, his skin was sallow, and his eyes were bloodshot and ringed with bruise-colored circles. He felt like he had the flu, only worse.

The pounding in his head stopped, only to start up again. It took him a moment to realize that the pounding wasn't inside his head at all; it was actually someone pounding insistently on the door to his hotel suite. He struggled to push himself upright on the bed, and then staggered to the door. He opened it without looking through the peephole to see who was there.

His visitor whistled. "Wow, Sargeant Holgersson, you look like all seven hells put together."

Sven gave a stiff mock salute. "Thank you, First Officer Asimov," he cracked sarcastically. "Believe it or not, I look better than I feel."

Kelly stepped into the room and surveyed the damage. The hot tub was empty of water, with dried rose petals sticking to the bottom. There were two practically-empty bottles of champagne, and strawberry hulls plastered to the bathroom sink. The bed was made but crinkled from him having slept atop the sheets. The candles surrounding the hot tub held black wicks and smoky glass. "Too bad you can't say the same for the room."

He sighed and closed the door behind her. "Cut to the chase. Why are you really here, Kelly?"

She turned to look at him, and instantly felt sad for him. "Oh, Sven. I'm so sorry. I warned you, but I'm sorry anyway." She threw her arms around his neck for a large, comforting hug. For a moment, he allowed himself to be wrapped up in her pity. "I know you guys love each other, but we're not kids anymore. You guys are both married to other people."

"I know." He dropped his head to her shoulder and closed his eyes. No matter what happened, they were still family, and they would still take care of each other.

"And on that point...your wife contacted the Garrison last night, Sven."

His eyes shot open. "She did? What did Romelle want?"

"She's sending a Polluxian transport and guard to escort you back home. Today."

Sven shook himself out of Kelly's embrace and looked panicked. "Why would she do that?" he asked, knowing that she wouldn't have the answers he needed. "How much time do I have before the transporter gets here?"

"The transporter is already en route and is scheduled to be here for 1300 hours," she replied. Then, arching a sympathetic eyebrow, she suggested, "And maybe she did it because she loves you and misses you?"

"No. She doesn't. She hates me."

"Sven...is that what you're trying to tell yourself? Is that what you told Len in order to get her to take you back?"

"_No," _he shot out, annoyed. "I asked her to leave her husband, and she said no." His gaze drifted back down to his right hand, where her ring still rested over the middle joint of his pinkie. He still couldn't believe that Lenora could be in love with someone other than him.

"I'm not surprised." Kelly rubbed his back soothingly. "Come on, get your stuff together. Clean yourself up and get dressed. We'll go get something to eat, then I'll escort you to the hangar. You can say good-bye to everyone there."

He nodded. _"Slutten_. Let me shower and shave first." He began to gather his clothes to bring them into the bathroom.

Kelly plopped down on a chair in the corner of the room. She picked up a magazine from the decorative table next to the chair and began to leaf through it, crossing her legs and settling in. "Don't forget to brush your teeth," she called out to him without looking up. "Your breath is pretty rank."

Rolling his eyes, Sven disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

* * *

"You know, I forgot how nice it is to live in the city instead of in _Jersey_," Cinda commented as Ginger came out of the bathroom after fixing her hair and make-up. "You want to get food or something? Or at least hit up the Tea Shoppe for coffee?"

"Mmm, sounds good," Ginger replied. "Though we've gotta wait for Lisa. She's supposed to pick up the last of her stuff this morning. That is, of course, if she can pry herself outta bed and away from that boyfriend of hers." She rolled her eyes jokingly. She really _was _happy for her old roommate.

Lisa hadn't left much behind in the apartment. As it was, she'd already brought most of her stuff over to Aidan's place during the course of their relationship, toiletries and undergarments and a few items of clothing. The only things she'd left in the apartment were bedding and a few personal items, remnants from the Space Academy that had never been thrown out.

Cinda interrupted her train of thought. "Do we at least have any instant coffee here? If Lisa doesn't hurry up and get here, I might go into caffeine withdrawal."

"Yeah. Bottom shelf in the cupboard closest to the fridge." In true New York City fashion, there was no real refrigerator, only a countertop mini-fridge to hold a few bottles of water and skim milk for their instant coffee or cereal.

As Cinda fixed herself a mug of instant coffee, Ginger sat down on the floor of their tiny living room and picked up one of Lisa's plastic boxes. As she moved it, the lid popped off, and a decade-old photo album came into view. She'd always laughed at how old-fashioned and sentimental her Academy roommate was, keeping actual handheld photo albums instead of digital ones like everyone else in the universe. "Hey Cin, check this out! Lisa's got pictures in here from school."

"Oh, nice." Cinda joined her in the living room, mug of coffee in hand, and sat down on the floor next to her. Ginger flipped open a photo album containing pictures from their fifth year.

"Wow, look at these." Ginger flipped through pages of slightly-faded photographs from back when they were only twenty years old. "We look so young! We look like little kids!"

"We _were _little kids." Cinda sipped her coffee as she glanced down at the photos. "Hey, I bet there are some pictures from Senior Night in here. Flip to the back of the book. We can go back to the rest of the photos later."

As Ginger came to the last few pages of the photo album, she was greeted by a photo of herself in a tomato-red dress. Her arms were wrapped around Lance's neck, her head tossed back in a laugh. He had both arms wrapped around her waist and a huge grin on his face. It was a very happy photo, and as she studied it, she wished more than anything that she was back on Arus with her lover. The small amount of time they'd spent together hadn't been nearly enough. She suddenly realized how much she wanted Lance in her life for the rest of her life.

Cinda hardly noticed the photo of Ginger with Lance. She was more interested in the photo right below it, the photo of her in a strapless ice-blue dress, her bright blue hair slicked back, hanging on Hunk's arm. "Wow."

"Wow, indeed."

Cinda reached her fingers underneath the sticky paper, pulling the photograph out. "Do you think Lisa will miss this?" she asked her new roommate, carefully cradling the picture in her hand. "Because I'd love to frame this and hang this up over the top bunk."

"Only if you think she won't miss _this _picture, either." Ginger slid the photo of herself with Lance out of the book. "I won't even bother with a frame. I'll just tack it up by the bottom bunk."

Their boys. They were both so entranced in the old photographs of themselves and their current - and past, as it was - love interests that neither one of them noticed the next crop of photos from Senior Night on the next page. One was of Lisa with Aidan, her tossing him an exasperated look as he shot an overconfident smirk at the camera, an arm looped around her shoulder.

The other was of Jeff and Morgan.

Ginger's phone rang, interrupting the moment, and she smiled when she saw that it was Lisa calling. "Hey, Baby, what's happening? Where are you?" She paused for a moment, and her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Okay. I'll tell her. See you soon."

"What was that about?" Cinda asked, finishing her coffee.

"That was Lisa. She wanted us to know that Aidan just got a phone call. We need to head to the hangar." She frowned. "Sven's leaving."

* * *

He was touched that his family had come to the hangar to say good-bye.

"I'm sorry that you have to leave so soon, Sven," Morgan whispered as she wrapped her arms tightly around him in a hug. "I feel like you just got here."

"I _did _just get here," he answered wryly. "But what's left for me to do? When a princess commands her husband to come home, he can't just ignore her." Then, brushing his lips by her ear, he whispered, "Lenora wouldn't take me back."

She had no answer for him, no words of comfort. She loved Sven, but she loved Jon, too - she considered him as her brother. And she loved Lenora most of all, so if her best friend had chosen her husband over her old lover, then she would support her decision.

Kelly, Ginger, Cinda, and Lisa also came to hug him good-bye. Cliff and Jeff gave their regards and well-wishes, with Jeff thanking him a thousand times over for rescuing his fiancée on Crydor. Aidan shook his hand fiercely. No words were exchanged during their handshake. Words weren't necessary when they had an unspoken understanding.

Christiane buried her face in his shoulder. "I wish you didn't have to run off."

"You're safe now, and you're going to be fine," he told her protectively, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "Never forget what you went through. It makes you stronger. It makes you _better_." He thought back to his own experiences on Arus, Ebb, and Doom, and wondered if he really believed those words for himself. For Keith's sister, yes. For himself, perhaps not.

"Will you come to the wedding?" she asked simply.

He shook his head. "I'd like to, but I have issues I need to work through with my wife. I will most likely be stationed on Pollux indefinitely and unable to leave." He hugged her tightly. "But I will be thinking of you on your wedding day, I promise."

Swallowing, he watched as Christiane returned to Jeff's side. He turned his head to the Polluxian transport ship, where Bandor's personal guard sat impatiently. Sven knew that the guard was eager to return home, but he did not feel the matter was of the same pressing importance as Drakar did.

When he turned his face back to his family, the figures in the doorway caught his eye. His _elskede _was there, dressed in uniform, her hair pulled into a side bun. She caught his eye in a pained expression.

Her hand gripped her husband's.

"_Adjø," _he whispered to her mournfully as he turned his body back to the transporter. He couldn't look at her, especially not as she held the commander's hand. Not after she'd turned him down.

"Blast it!" she cried out. "Wait a minute, Holgersson."

He heard the furious clicking of her high heels against concrete as she ran across the hangar floor. Suddenly, she was behind him, her hands on his shoulders. He spun around to face her, and she threw her arms around his neck. Inhaling her scent, Sven realized that it didn't matter that she wouldn't leave her husband. He would never stop loving her. He _couldn't_. He would always be right beside her, no matter where in the universe he was.

"I really have to go," he told her.

She nodded. "Work things out with your wife."

"I will. At least, I'll try." He pulled himself out of her arms and turn away. Looking back over his shoulder, he mouthed, _"Love deg."_

She nodded. _"Love deg."_

Sven headed into the transporter as Lenora returned to Jon and the rest of her family. She did not watch as the ship left the hangar to return to Pollux, choosing instead to bury herself in her confused husband's arms. Somehow, she knew this would not be the last she saw of him. But it would be the last time they would ever tell each other that they loved each other.


	39. Happy Pills

_Author's Note__: Thank you to everybody who's still with me on the crazy journey. As always, I own only my characters._

_To Emie Mac - Yes, we all feel bad for Sven in a way. And Jon is clueless for now. But will he stay clueless? Only time will tell._

_To bknbu - I remember reading an old fic where Lance and Ginger were involved, and to me, it felt right. Ginger seems like the type who'd be drawn to bad boys, no?_

_To Sally On - You noticed; we're not too far away from the end of Book #2. Maybe Sven might find some peace by the end. Or...maybe not._

_To Wade Wells - Sven & Romelle will start hashing things out in this chapter. And what's not to love about Jon? ;)_

_**Title Song: "Happy Pills" by Norah Jones**_

* * *

Dr. Deldosa exhaled. In the short amount of time he'd been working with the princess of Pollux and her royal consort, it hadn't seemed to go very far or help very much. Initially, that always seemed to be the way it went. In couples' counseling, the beginning seemed to injure more than it ever seemed to heal. It was the same way with the royal couple.

During their very first joint session, all of their dark secrets came out into the open. Dr. Deldosa learned that they were both in love with other people - Romelle with the prince of Tyvel, Sven with the Space Marshal of the Galaxy Alliance - and that they had both cheated on their spouse with the object of his or her affection within the past year. He learned that she stayed with her husband because he was sick, and she felt that taking his son away from him would be a detriment to his health; he only stayed with his wife because the Space Marshal had let him go.

It wasn't _all _misery between them, though. As their private marriage counselor and individual therapist, he'd learned that they did love each other on a base level. The time they'd spent together on Doom had forged their relationship, and they had grown to know each other in a way that no one else could. That was the main principle that he wanted them to focus on.

"Sven, you must understand, you've idolized your relationship with Lenora," the doctor told him during one of their individual sessions. "You've put that woman up on a pedestal because she was your first love, and she didn't leave you. _You _were the one who left _her, _and you've never forgiven yourself for that." As he paused to let that information sink in, he added, "And you have never forgiven Romelle for choosing her people over you when your son was first born."

During his first one-on-one session with the princess, Dr. Deldosa didn't even bother to bring up Erimar. Instead, he brought up the fact that she had been a new mother who'd willingly handed over her child. "I had just given birth, and I was wracked with post-partum depression," Romelle explained tearfully, glad that her husband wasn't there to watch her cry. "My heart was broken in a million pieces when I heard how my people wouldn't accept Sven as my consort because they were afraid of him. And, worse, how they wouldn't accept my _son _because of his father." After she'd blown her nose, she continued, "I never thought that my husband would just leave. He took my son and he left Pollux in the middle of the night. And worst of all, my brother helped."

There was nothing left to say after that. He'd simply patted the princess' back as she wept into a tissue, wondering where her marriage and her relationship with her brother went wrong.

_They'll get there, _he told himself. And he knew they would; he'd been involved in cases concerning worse marital strife than theirs, though not many. But his gut told him that Romelle and Sven would make it. It was simply a matter of time and effort.

He hoped that they both wanted to put in the time and effort.

* * *

Christiane gnashed her teeth together as she laid on the table in that stupid smock that barely covered her body. Getting her birth control injection every three months was embarrassing and demoralizing, but also a necessary evil. She couldn't risk a pregnancy, not now and not ever.

As she waited for her OB-Gyn to enter the room and administer the injection, she thought about the vision she'd had less than a week ago. It was such a startling, horrifying vision that even Jeff had woken up in a panic. He'd had a similar vision, and once they were both jolted awake, they laid in bed, terrified, with Jeff gripping her and pulling her into his body, shaking all the while.

It was the first time she'd ever shared a vision. Maybe it was because he was The One and it was about him as well. It didn't matter. They were too shaken up to delve into the semantics.

The vision was painfully real, with an unmistakable meaning. In each vision, Christiane was giving birth to their first child - naturally in her vision, surgically in his. Not that it mattered; in each version, something went wrong, and both she and the baby died. Needing comfort, Jeff held her for a long time in silence after they awoke from the vision.

"We're not having kids," he said finally, kissing her frantically. "I need you, Chris. I need you as my wife more than I need air. If we really want kids, we can adopt. But you're not getting pregnant. I can't lose you. Not again."

She was lifted out of the memory by the sound of the door opening and closing and the kind lilt in her doctor's voice. "Ms. Kogane," Dr. Hiltmann greeted her, "how are you today?"

"I'm very well, thank you. Happy," she answered. "I'm getting married one week from tomorrow."

"That's so nice! Congratulations." The doctor's smile was warm and friendly. "Any other news you'd like to share?"

Christiane swallowed, her own smile disappearing. "There's no nice way to say this, so I'll just blurt it out: last month, I was raped. Fortunately, I knew I wouldn't get pregnant due to the birth control injection, but I feel like I should probably get tested for a round of diseases."

Dr. Hiltmann's face twisted. "I'm sorry. Yes, let's get you tested. Immediately." Her smile came clipped. "The nice thing about waiting is that there's an incubation period. Had you been tested immediately, you only would have had to come back here to get re-tested in a month's time. I'll order the tests now. Be right back."

As the room emptied, she felt foolish for waiting so long. But really, had that been such a bad thing? She'd wanted to bury the pain and her memories of Lotor's touch in the giddiness she felt from Jeff's proposal. She'd thrown herself into planning the wedding with Morgan, Jon and Lenora to keep from thinking about what the king of Doom had done to her. Now, though, she had no choice but to face it head-on.

She would have to tell Jeff. She didn't want to tell him, but he deserved to know.

When Dr. Hiltmann returned to the room, she was carrying a battery of test tubes and small biopsy brushes. Christiane blinked at the assortment in front of her, willing for all of this to be a bad dream. "First, Ms. Kogane, I'll give you the birth control injection. Then I'll do a pelvic exam and take biopsies. The results will be back sometime next week, before the wedding. Now, roll over."

Christiane tried not to yelp as the doctor injected her in the buttocks for her birth control. "Now, as always, I'm supposed to inform you," Dr. Hiltmann offered by rote, almost sounding bored, "that if you decide to discontinue the injection as a quarterly form of birth control, you need to use a back-up method for three months. Your body can and will release multiple eggs from your ovaries as it adjusts to the change in hormones, and if your eggs become fertilized, you may find yourself pregnant with twins, triplets, or other multiples." She paused. "Also, I am supposed to inform you - though you know already - that the birth control injection protects against pregnancy _only_, and not against sexually transmitted diseases."

"Definitely. I am well aware," she mumbled as the doctor swiped the injection site with alcohol-soaked gauze.

"You can turn over now, and I'll just take a few samples."

Christiane bit her lip as Dr. Hiltmann swabbed away at her sensitive areas with the biopsy brushes. She was fairly sure that she hadn't contracted any diseases from Lotor - she would most likely have had some sort of vision regarding it - but she needed to be certain. If not for herself, then for Jeff.

She'd kept this secret hidden from him long enough. They were about to be married, and she would not build her marriage on a foundation of lies. She'd have to tell him

_Blast it, _she thought. The bachelor party was tomorrow night. She didn't want to ruin that for him. Not that the guys would be too naughty - they _were _holding it at the Rackens' house, after all - but the last thing she wanted to do was put a damper on Jeff's party. Sighing, she decided that she'd tell him the day after. Hopefully he wouldn't be mad. Hopefully he wouldn't be too upset.

Hopefully there would still be a wedding the following week.

* * *

Black coffee. Perimeter scan. Waking up every morning in Allura's bed and falling harder for her. Knowing that the feeling was mutual.

Life was getting even better.

Things were back to normal at the Castle of Lions. They were still holding practice and drills as usual, but mostly to help train Larmina, Daniel and Vince in the lions. The cadets needed to hone their piloting skills, of course, but mostly it was for Keith to see which lions they were forming connections with.

The lions wouldn't fly for just anyone. They had particular preferences and tended to be choosy and possessive of their pilots. It had been difficult to introduce the cadets at first, especially if one of them had wanted to fly without a member of the Voltron Force present. Slowly, though, the lions were becoming accustomed to having someone new in the pilot's seat. And Keith could see some threads of bonding being formed.

It was obvious that Green Lion had taken to Vince. Larmina, being Allura's niece, was better-received by Blue Lion than any other. Daniel, with his piloting skills, speed and agility, and dreams of team leadership, would bond with either Black or Red. It was only a matter of time before the cadets would begin to replace them.

It would happen gradually, of course, but it would have to happen eventually. The majority of the Voltron Force was in their early thirties, with Pidge and Allura bringing up the rear in their late twenties. They were getting older; they weren't the fresh-faced Space Academy graduates they'd been when they first arrived at the Castle of Lions. Things started happening as they got older. They fell in love. They got injured. They were slower to recovery. And, worst of all, it had all gotten old.

The cadets were excited for an attack. They were thrilled to see Voltron in action. They were proud of the mighty robot. Not that the original Voltron Force didn't feel that way - they would _always _be proud of what Hunk referred to as "the big guy." They would always feel honored that the lions chose to accept them as their pilots. Yet the attacks from Doom, the constant fear and worry and anxiety that drove Keith to the edge of madness some nights, _that _was growing old.

Now that it looked like he and Allura might be together forever, he wanted to stop having those many sleepless nights. He wanted to devote his life to protecting her personally. He cared deeply for Arus, but he cared for its princess even more. The idea of spending his life with her, the thought of settling down in terms of marriage and children, was becoming more appealing as the years passed.

Keith wasn't the only member of the Voltron Force who felt it. Since the kidnapping fiasco with his sister had occurred, along with the appearance of Vehicle Voltron and Albegas, he knew some of his teammates were feeling the same way he was. Seeing Ginger again had thrown Lance for a loop, and even Hunk looked smitten after rekindling his relationship with Cinda. Sven was busy trying to figure out how in seven hells he should proceed in his marriage to Romelle, especially after learning that Len was still alive. And while Pidge was the only member not romantically linked, he tended to keep busy by burying himself in castle defense systems. In fact, most days he seemed to prefer castle defense to Green Lion.

The end was looming. They all knew it. It was only a matter of time.

"Have you gotten to Larmina yet, or did I miss the show?"

Startled, Keith nearly spit out his coffee. "Lance! I didn't hear you walk in."

The Red pilot shrugged. "I'm practicing stealth mode." He took a long sip of his sugar- and cream-laden coffee, then watched the screen as the camera switched views. "So, isn't your sister's wedding coming up soon?"

"Next weekend. Allura and I will be going to Earth for a long weekend." He paused to sip his black coffee. "Wow. I can't believe that Jeff is going to be my brother-in-law."

"From roommate and best friend to brother-in-law. Who wouldda thunk it?"

"Not me." He shrugged. "Lance, I want to ask you something important concerning our trip."

Lance raised an eyebrow. "Sure. Ask away."

"When Allura and I are away for the weekend, will you lead the team as acting captain?"

"Sure."

The answer was too nonchalant, and Keith didn't think his second-in-command realized the weight of the question. "Lance, I'd like for you to fly Black Lion while I'm gone. And I want Daniel in Red. I'd like to see how well he bonds with Red Lion."

Lance narrowed his eyes. "Kogane, what kind of happy pills are you on? Are you trying to prematurely boot me off the team?"

Keith sighed. "No, of course not, Lance. The five of us will be on the team until we each make the conscious decision to retire, whenever that may be." When his friend shot him a confused expression, he decided to explain himself further. "Lance, haven't you ever felt that there might be something more for us? Something better?"

"Hey, are you getting all funny 'cuz Jeff's marrying your sister? I mean, what could be better than Voltron?"

"Don't you miss Ginger?"

It was an innocent question, but it was a low blow at the same time. Suddenly, Lance understood what his friend was trying to tell him. There would come a point where being a part of the Voltron Force wouldn't fulfill him or make him feel whole. There would come a time when they'd each want to retire and settle into a boring, mundane life.

Lance smiled as he thought about living that kind of a life with Ginger. He suspected that Keith had similar feelings towards Allura. "You know what, Keith? I'm game. Let's see how well Dan-Man and Red get along."

The Voltron captain merely nodded, pleased that the Red Lion pilot finally got it.


	40. Everybody Talks

_Author's Note__: The concept for this chapter has been a LONG time coming. (Emie Mac and Wade Wells, you've been warned.) Have a shot of Ciroc for David Rackens...that's all I'm gonna say. This chapter is a little on the long side, but I think you'll find it well worth reading. Also, I'd like to warn everybody that there's a lot of alcohol consumption in this chapter, which makes some of our characters do out-of-character things, so if that offends or strikes a nerve, please bypass. I'll see you in the next chapter._

_I live in one of the states that's slated to be hit by that so-called "Perfect Storm" on the east coast. Say some prayers for me, people. And while you're at it, expect a delay in my next update or two as I get everything back together. (Unless those weather forecasters are wrong, in which case expect to see updates as usual.)_

_To bknbu - Yes, it's coming around to the time where the Voltron Force and their friends are starting to settle down. But not everybody's getting married just yet. It's a surprise!_

_To FroofyB - We've missed you over on this end! Believe me when I tell you that from the Nicktoons version, I never thought Daniel deserved Black Lion...but Red Lion's a whole different ballgame. And I'm trying to make the cadets a little more grown-up and a little less irritating._

_To Sally On - Don't worry too much about Chris & Jeff; they'll be okay regardless. Worry more about Sven & Romelle and the long journey in front of them._

_To Craze - I am really glad that you're still enjoying this fic. As for more cadets, I don't have any planned for this book. However, I have a short story in the works about Hunk's retirement and the "passing of the torch" for Yellow Lion. So that would only leave one piloting position open..._

_To Emie Mac - Christiane's visions always come true eventually. So if they don't have any babies, then they don't have any problems, right? And I like your suggestion of Sven & Romelle living somewhere other than Pollux. I mean, the people don't like him, and Bandor's ruling, so how tough would it be?_

_To Wade Wells - I am right there with you in the "getting old" department. So I figured, if __we're__ getting old, our beloved old-school Voltron pilots should age with us._

_**Chapter Title: "Everybody Talks" by Neon Trees**_

* * *

Allura had been busy packing and preparing for her weekend on Earth. Keith had told her to stop worrying so much, that all she needed was a cute garden-party-type dress or two, a pair of jeans, a few cute tops, and a few pairs of ridiculously hot shoes. She didn't believe him. What did a man know about packing clothes for a weekend getaway, anyway?

Now, as she scowled over her bed, looking down at the few items of clothing she'd laid down on top of the comforter for further inspection, Keith laughed. A no-holds-barred, full-on laugh that brought tears to his eyes. She wanted to smack him.

"Don't you have perimeter scan to do?" she grumbled.

"You're making me laugh."

She shot him a poisonous glance. "Yeah, I noticed."

"Relax." He dropped his head to kiss her forehead. "Stop worrying. You'll look great, no matter what. You have that certain look about you. You'd make a paper bag look good."

"If you don't stop talking and stressing me out further, I am going to throw you out of my room and make you sleep somewhere else tonight."

Before he could respond, there was a knock on her door. "Don't think I'm letting you get away this easily," she remarked, irritated. "We'll finish this discussion later. And for the record, I'm probably bringing three suitcases with me."

Keith laughed, but only kissed her cheek in reply.

As Allura opened her door, she found Larmina standing in the hallway. Looking embarrassed, she asked, "Are you packing for your trip to Earth? I heard you guys from out in the hallway, and I just wanted to see what you were planning on bringing."

"I'll let you two ladies have this conversation by yourselves," Keith butted in. "More than once in a morning is far too much. Besides, I have to go talk with Coran. See you both later." He swiftly crossed over the threshold and wandered down the hallway, in search of the castle diplomat and strategist.

"Come on in, Larmina." She gestured towards her bed, and the cadet entered the room and flopped down on top of the mattress. As she closed the door behind her, she said, "Okay, spill it. I know you well enough to know that you didn't come here to talk clothes. What's going on?"

Larmina almost laughed. How was she going to ask this question with a straight face? It was outright rude, and her aunt would most likely say no, but still, the worst she could do was say no. "I'd really like to go to Earth with you and Keith, Aunt Allura. I miss Len, and I'd like to see her again. I'd also like to be there when Christiane gets married." She shrugged. "The way I see it, you're probably gonna marry Keith someday, so I can safely consider her my family, too. And I'd like to see _one _family wedding that's not a royal wedding."

Allura laughed. Sitting down on the bed next to the cadet, she wrapped her arms around her niece and hugged her tightly. "Of course you can come with us. We'll work out all of the details later. But for now, get yourself a dress."

"Great! I'm on it!" She jumped up from the bed and dashed down the hallway in search of the royal seamstress. She needed to find something quickly. She wanted to be ready for Earth and the wedding.

Allura laughed at her niece's enthusiasm. She wished she could muster up the same amount for the trip to Earth, instead of being worried about what to pack and what to wear. The trip would be there before they knew it.

Besides, how could she deny Larmina a trip to Earth? Anything that got her niece _that _excited about putting on a dress had to be rewarded.

* * *

"So, _where _did you say Chris and Morgan went for the night?" Taye asked David as he leaned against the granite-topped kitchen island, shotglass in hand. "You can't have a bachelor party with women around." He smirked. "I stand corrected. With women who _aren't _exotic dancers around."

"Oh. Chris and Jeff finally got an apartment together, and they're starting to move in," David explained, pulling bottles out of his liquor cabinet. "Morgan went with Chris to set up and decorate. They'll spend the night there."

"Hey, it sounds better than having them come home to a bunch of drunken idiots." Taye shrugged as he looked through the assortment of hard alcohol. "You've got Ciroc in here somewhere, right?"

"In the freezer. Two bottles." David grinned wryly. "This is going to be a bloody lively crowd."

He was glad that the Red Mecha pilot was there early with him. There would be maybe twenty guys at the most - Jeff had requested his Voltron Force teammates, as well as Hawkins, Sparks, and Newley, plus Taye and Aidan. It was going to be a typical guys' night, complete with cigars, alcohol, card games...minus the exotic dancers. Morgan's directive.

Jeff came downstairs to the kitchen, looking at the spread of hard liquor on the island in front of him. "Wow, Rackens, I always knew you loved me," he quipped, looking over the array. "Hennessey, Bombay Sapphire, Courvoisier, Johnny Walker, Patrón...hey, where's the Ciroc?"

"Freezer," came the in-unison reply.

"Cool."

"There's also Guinness and Heineken in the fridge," David informed him.

"Awesome." Jeff picked up a shotglass and opened the freezer door, pulling out the vodka. Pouring himself and Taye a shot, he asked, "Now, you said earlier that there'll be cigars and card games?"

"Yes." David nodded, pouring himself a tumbler of Courvoisier. "Jon's bringing the Montecristo cigars. Hutch and Marvin graciously offered to bring the cards and chips."

Jeff groaned. "If you're letting Hutch and Marvin direct the games tonight, I can guarantee you it's not gonna end well."

* * *

Morgan tilted her head as she studied the queen-sized bed. The one-bedroom apartment that Jeff and Christiane were now renting - in the same building with Aidan and Lisa, no less - was smaller than most of the other one-bedroom apartments in the complex. There was no way they could have gotten a king-sized bed in there, but a full-sized mattress would have been too small for the newlyweds' marital bed.

"I like the blue," she said finally. "The tan comforter looks good with blue sheets."

Christiane nodded. It had been a busy week with finalizing the plans for the wedding, signing the paperwork for their apartment rental, alterations on her dress, buying furniture and bedding, putting the apartment together, her gynecologic appointment...too busy. Now the boys were all at Morgan's house, busy getting drunk and playing poker for Jeff's bachelor party, while she and Morgan were readying her new home and spending the night.

"Hey...I bought something for your freezer," Morgan said suddenly.

"Oh, you're funny. A freezer? You think we'd actually have a fridge in this joint? Jeff and I decided to pull a Ginger and get a mini-fridge."

"Well then, it's a good thing I bought the extra-small size." Morgan opened her purse and pulled out a small bottle of Ciroc. It was the size that Christiane used to keep in her freezer when she lived by herself in the Valley. And even _then _she'd used a full-sized refrigerator. "Come on, Baby Girl. If you thought I was just gonna let the boys have all the fun tonight while we slaved away in your new apartment, well, you thought wrong."

"Then it's a good thing I've got glasses." Christiane opened a cardboard box and rummaged around for a couple of shotglasses. "'Cuz if you think I'm not gonna do a shot or two tonight, then _you _thought wrong."

"Excellent." Morgan pulled the pillow cases on over the two pillows as Christiane rinsed out the shotglasses. "Hey, Baby Girl, where are you and Jeff staying the night before the wedding? I hope someone's staying in the house with me."

"That would be Jeff." Christiane poured vodka into the two glasses and brought one over to Morgan. She clinked her glass against Morgan's and downed the shot. Afterwards, she exhaled, feeling the burn from the warm vodka run down the back of her throat. "I'm staying with Len and Jon the night before. We figured that since we're getting married on the terrace, I might as well stay there. The hairdresser and make-up artist will be there, too. And I'm hoping you'll come to help me get ready, as well."

"Of course. I've got some jewelry you can wear."

"Good. I haven't got any of that." Christiane turned to look at the bare walls of her new place. It didn't feel like home yet, but it was getting there. "Now, tell me, how funny is it that the first night I spend in my new married-life apartment, I spend it with you?"

Morgan laughed. "It's very funny, Baby Girl."

Also very fitting.

* * *

David was still on his first tumbler of Courvoisier. It was a good thing, because the arguments over the poker games were getting louder and angrier, and someone needed to be sober enough to break up the fighting and call a temporary moratorium.

It was almost surreal, this party. He watched as Jeff sat between Crik and Rocky on the living room couch, the three of them more than a little wasted on shots. Chip laughed in the corner with Wolo and Tangor, playing their own game of cards and sipping their beers. Modoch and Shannon kept Marvin away from Hutch, who sulked in the corner with Zandee, Taye and a couple of shots of Patrón. Jon and Richard smoked cigars in the kitchen with Sparks and David, the captain and the commander randomly raising their snifters of brandy towards their lips.

Somewhere between the smoke and the alcohol, David realized that Aidan and Cliff still hadn't arrived yet. It didn't surprise him that they would be together - they _were _best mates, after all - but he was shocked that they hadn't shown up. Cliff was Jeff's teammate as well as fellow captain of the Voltron Force. Aidan was the bride's captain and an old friend of the groom. Where the heck were they?

"I forgot how good a Montecristo can be," Richard exhaled as he smoked his cigar, leaning his head back. "Almost as good as a woman."

"Well, Rich," Jon teased, "it _has _been a while for you, hasn't it?"

"Shut up. Not all of us here are married or engaged, Hawkins." The captain of the Explorer blew a ring of smoke in the commander's face. Sparks laughed, and even David smiled as Jon shook his head exuberantly.

Back in the living room, Taye knocked back his tequila with Zandee and Hutch. "Hey, I know I'm not exactly sober or nothin'," Hutch mused, "but I'm kinda surprised that Cliff's not here yet. I mean, he and Jeff bounce stuff off of each other all the time. You'd think he'd be here by now."

"Yeah...Aidan's not here, either." Taye scanned the room before taking a quick gulp of his Patrón. The Albegas captain was still mysteriously absent. Looking across the room, his eyes met with Modoch's, and he looked away. He didn't want to deal with the guy who'd broken Kelly's heart - he was still trying to put all of those pieces together.

Jeff looked around the room happily. He was on his sixth shot of hard liquor. He'd done a shot of everything, and was sure he'd feel like all seven hells tomorrow if he didn't get any food in his system. Rackens had been gracious enough to get traditional stag-party fare, but he needed more sustenance than a piece of a six-foot grinder. He needed three slices of the "Everything" pizza that Hunk and Rocky used to scarf down together at the Academy.

As he thought about how well pizza would go with everything he'd drunk up to that point, the front door opened. Aidan and Cliff slunk into the party late, with Cliff locking the door behind him. "Jack! Dalloway! Where have you guys been?" Crik shot at them in his Miran accent. "What, were you going to blow the groom off at his bachelor party?"

They were the only two sober people in the house, Aidan realized grimly. He'd have to rectify that immediately. With a shudder, he answered, "Nah, Keats. I was waiting for my Mate's train to come in from _Jersey_. I needed him to be my bodyguard on the way over."

"What, _you _needed a bodyguard?" Rocky teased. He was done with shots for the night and had moved on to beer. He was already on his third Heineken. "Geez, Dalloway, you're a tough dude. Why would _you _need somebody to protect you?"

Cliff placed his hand on his mate's shoulder and shook his head. Sighing, Aidan ignored Rocky and headed into the kitchen, allowing Cliff to mingle with his teammates while he got himself a drink. After greeting David and the bridge crew of the Explorer, he pulled a tumbler out of the cabinet. "Hawkins, what are you drinking?" he asked nonchalantly.

Jon raised an eyebrow at him. "Courvoisier."

"Cool. Black Label for me." He picked up the Johnny Walker bottle and poured until the tumbler was full. Then, tapping his glass against the commander's, he saluted, "Cheers," and knocked the contents of nearly the entire glass back. Not to be outdone, Jon finished what was left in his tumbler, turning his steely gaze to the Albegas captain.

"Need more?"

"You know it."

They refilled their tumblers and drank again. David's expression turned aggravated as he watched his captain and his brother drain their glasses another time. Wiping his lips, Aidan mumbled, "That oughtta be good for now. Watch my glass, Hawkins. I've gotta go give Jeff his wedding present."

As he left the kitchen, David shot Jon a look as he refilled his tumbler with brandy for the third time. "Really? Back in London, we'd call that a bloody pissing contest."

"I can't help it." Jon set down his tumbler on the island, his hand still curled around the glass. "That guy brings out the worst in me. I can't stand him."

Feeling the alcohol hit his limbs, Aidan made his way over to the couch where Jeff was sitting. "Congratulations, Aki. I'm bringing you your wedding present a week early. It's from both me and Lisa, but don't tell her."

"Congratulations on my marriage, or congratulations that you're giving me my gift early?" Jeff remarked drunkenly.

"Don't be a jerk, Aki." He pulled a small, flat box out of his jeans pocket. "Open it and let me know what you wanna do with it."

"Sure. Thanks, Dude." Jeff lifted the lid off the box and stared. Then he blinked. _Then _he felt himself sobering up. "Um...Dalloway? Are you for real?"

"Shut up, man."

Jeff lifted the engagement ring up from the piece of cotton in the box. It was a round diamond, three quarters of a carat, in a white-gold setting with diamond chips trailing down the sides. "So that's why you needed Cliff to be your bodyguard. Seven hells, man. Seven _hells_."

Aidan squirmed uncomfortably. "Dude, stop looking like you wanna kiss me already. I just felt like Chris needed a ring, and I happened to have one that I wasn't using. So either give her that ring to wear on your wedding day, or go to the Diamond District and trade it in for something else you think she'd might like."

"Oh my God. Lisa." Jeff swallowed, feeling terribly guilty. "No wonder you don't want me to tell her. This wasn't supposed to be Lisa's ring, was it?"

Aidan shook his head. "No. That ring was never meant for Lisa."

Across the living room, the crack of a brandy-filled glass tumbler on top of a granite-topped island could be heard from the kitchen. Jon had overhead everything. _He _knew. He knew the woman that the ring had been meant for.

His wife.

"Jon, _don't_," David pleaded.

Richard and Sparks lunged for the commander, but he was too fast. Drunk and enraged, Jon crossed the living room in few strides, grabbing Aidan by the collar of his button-down shirt. "I should just beat the seven hells out of you right here in front of everyone, Dalloway," he snarled, clenching his hand into a fist. Shannon recoiled. He'd been on the receiving end of one of the commander's blows before, and he certainly didn't envy the Albegas captain.

"No. Not in my house." David wedged himself between the two men. "If you want to fight, take it outside. Respect me enough not to do this in my home." He looked angry, and he deserved to be. He'd wanted to do something nice for Jeff, and now it was blowing up in his face. "Take it outside."

Jon drew in a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Dave. Dalloway, I'll meet you outside."

Aidan's sapphire eyes narrowed. "You'd better believe it, Hawkins."

As they stormed out the back door, Aidan slamming it behind him, Jeff shook his head. "My bachelor party," he told his friends. "I'm not dealing with this one."

"Okay," Richard said definitively. "We'll give them two minutes to talk things out, then we'll break them up. Modoch, you and Hutch come with me to deal with Jon. Cliff, you take Taye and Crik to deal with Aidan."

"You got it, Captain Newley," Cliff offered, stunned at seeing the commander so angry with his mate.

"Great. Another bloody party comes to a bloody great end." David plopped down on the couch between Jeff and Crik. "I'm sorry that your bachelor party had to come to such a lousy end, Jeffrey."

"Are you kidding me?" Jeff replied. "I've got a diamond ring for Chris, I've got six shots of...whatever...in me, and I get to watch Hawkins pummel the heck outta Dalloway. This is, like, the best party you've ever had."

From behind the couch, Cliff merely shook his head in amusement.

* * *

There wasn't much of a backyard, and it wasn't very well-lit, but the darkness and the small space made conditions perfect for a fight. The tension between Aidan and Jon had been brewing for years, and Aidan could pinpoint the exact start of it: the day the commander took Lenora to Boston to put her into hiding. He felt like he'd been priming for this fight for ages.

"I knew I was going to have to deal with you eventually," Jon growled at him, staring him down with his piercing eyes. "I just didn't expect - or _want _- it to be at Jeff's bachelor party."

"You _really _think you're so tough, Hawkins? Because I've been waiting a long time to beat you up. Like, from the day you took my girlfriend away from me."

"Don't you _ever _refer to her as your girlfriend. She's _my wife_." Then a drunken grin spread across his lips. "Do you know what she told me about you, Dalloway? She told me that she loved you, but she was never _in _love with you. So if you _had _proposed to her, hypothetically speaking, she would have said no."

"And she told me she thought we would have made it. So what do _you _know?"

Jon's hands were balled into fists, and he stood firm to the ground, ready to punch him. He would have loved to break Aidan's nose and ruin those pretty looks of his. Luckily for Aidan, though, he felt Richard grasp his wrists, and saw Modoch and Hutch physically block him and his view of Aidan. Over Modoch's shoulder, he could see Aidan being being restrained by Cliff, Taye and Crik.

How embarrassing that their fight had to be broken up.

"Dude, Hawkins, I just don't get you," Aidan spat out over Cliff's shoulder. "You hate my guts, and I only dated her for ten months. But you let her go out alone with Sven Holgersson a few weeks ago. What's up with _that_?"

Jon's eyes widened. He hadn't thought about Sven in weeks, not since he returned to Planet Pollux after rescuing Christiane off Crydor. Yes, his wife had hugged him good-bye in the hangar, but everyone had; he was part of her "family" from the Space Academy. "What do you mean, Dalloway? What nonsense are you talking about?"

Aidan's eyes widened, and he shut his mouth. He wouldn't sell Sven short; he understood the angry Norwegian better than anyone else, and better than he ever would have thought. If Jon Hawkins learned about Sven's engagement to Lenora, well, it wouldn't be through his lips. "Nothing, Hawkins. Forget I said anything."

"Mate, Commander," Cliff addressed them, clearing his throat, "I think we'd better continue this party as usual. Let's forget about what happened out here and go back to playing cards. I'm just glad no one got hurt." Grabbing Aidan's shoulders, he insistently directed his mate back into the house, with Crik and Hutch in tow.

"Modoch," Jon said quietly, "what was he talking about? Why would he even bring up Sven Holgersson in the first place? Is he _that _drunk?"

Modoch weighed his options, and kept quiet until the others had returned to the house. "Well, Sir," he began hesitantly, "I don't know the story for sure. I only know the stories I heard from Kelly Asimov when we were dating." He looked down at the ground. "That was a long time ago."

"Tell me. I want to know."

The Land Team member sighed. "All right, Sir. If you really want to know..."

* * *

Lenora had been in bed with the viewscreen on for quite some time, barefoot and dressed in her Hanro pajamas, waiting for her husband to come home from Jeff's bachelor party. She was glad he'd called Carlo to drive him to and from Morgan's house; if she knew anything about her Wifey and brother-in-law, it was that they had a fully-stocked liquor cabinet and they weren't afraid to use it. So she wasn't surprised when her husband came home drunk and smelling like cigars.

She _was _surprised at how angry he was.

From the master bedroom on the third floor of the triplex, she heard the front door slam shut. Worried, she jumped out of bed and raced down the two sets of stairs. "Jon?"

"Yeah, I'm home," he shouted.

She wrapped her arms around him, inhaling the stench of the Montecristos. "What's wrong?"

"I need to go upstairs. Come on." He grabbed her hand and yanked it.

Who was this man? This was not her husband. Jon never acted like this. He never drank too much, he never lost his temper like this. Sure, she'd heard old stories from the Explorer that involved Jeff's or Shannon's face on the receiving end of a blow from Jon's fist, but he was different now than he was ten years ago. Wasn't he?

Once they were back in their bedroom, Jon exploded. "I want you to take a good look at the diamond ring Jeff gives to Christiane on their wedding day," he growled. "Apparently, your old boyfriend Aidan had purchased that ring for _you_."

"_What?" _she cried out. "What are you talking about?"

"Like I said, your old boyfriend had planned on proposing marriage to you." He scoffed disgustedly. _Angrily. _"Now, Christiane will wear your ring instead. And every time I see it, I'll be reminded of the way you were almost engaged to Aidan Dalloway." He exhaled loudly, furious and still drunk. "And whenever I think of _that_, I'll remember how you were engaged to Sven Holgersson and didn't tell me. How you went out on a date with him with my blessing. How another man put the moves on _my _wife right under my nose." He ripped the shirt off over his head and flung it angrily towards the corner of the room. "And how I was so stupid that I just let it happen."

She felt shock and horror, like her entire world was crumbling around her. "Did Aidan tell you that tonight?"

"No. Modoch did."

She stared back at him, her eyes widening in horror. _Blast that Modoch and his need to ruin everything for everyone else, just because he wrecked his relationship with Kelly_. Bile rose up in her throat, and she thought she might vomit. "Jonathan James Hawkins," she told him in a shaky voice, "when we went out to the Tea Room, I did _not _cheat on you. Sven tried to convince me to leave you, but I told him no, that I was in love with you." Had she not been so frightened and angry herself, she never would have said anything to him about it. He didn't need to know what Sven had said that night and be upset by his words. But now he was acting like a madman, so he might as well know. "But let me tell you, he tried really hard to convince me otherwise, and it was extremely difficult for me to tell him no."

Jon looked stunned at the idea that his wife might have actually contemplated leaving him. He sat down at the edge of the bed, shirtless and quivering. Her words had obviously affected him. _"Ne me quitte,"_ he whispered uncertainly. _"S'il vous plaît."_

Lenora felt as though her heart had dropped out of her chest and splattered all over the floor. Nearing panic, she straddled her husband's lap and placed small, frantic kisses all over his face. "Jon. Jon, no. _No._ I am _not _leaving you. Do you hear me? I am _not_." Breathing raggedly, she grasped the back of his head and drew him in, clinging onto him as though her life depended on it. She felt him wrap his arms around her waist, which made her feel better. "You are my husband. I am not leaving you. I am never going to leave you."

"Why didn't you tell me about Sven?" He sounded broken. "That he was your fiancé? That it was _his _ring you always wore around your neck?"

She sighed. "What good would it have done? Jon, I wanted you to come out with us. I _begged_ you. But you kept telling me how much you hate the Tea Room, and I needed to speak with Sven." Cautiously, she paused. "I love you so much, Jon, but you are so possessive of me. Don't get me wrong, I know it stems from Wade and the hiding, but I knew that if I told you that Sven and I had been engaged, you wouldn't have let me see him. And I don't know if it's because you don't trust me enough to think that I won't..." She let her voice trail off, feeling guilty.

"Oh, no, _mon ange_, it's not you. It's _him_." He closed his eyes and laid his head against her shoulder, planting a trail of small kisses along the bare skin of her neck. "I know how _I _feel about you, and it worries me to know that there's someone else out there who feels the same way, and will stop at nothing to try to win you back."

"You trusted him well enough before you knew he was my old fiancé."

"I know, but just the thought of him with you like that - it drives me insane." Curled up into each other, he stared into her eyes as though he could see inside of her. "It's the same reason I can't stand Aidan. I think of him with you, and I can't handle it. I _also _think of that one letter you wrote to me when I was on the Explorer, the one where you told me you were seeing him, and I remember how miserable I felt..." He couldn't continue.

A smile crept onto her face. "Were you _really _miserable when I wrote to you and told you that I was seeing Aidan?"

"Terribly."

"Hmm." She kissed his shoulder. "How would you feel if you knew I told you that on purpose to see if you were jealous?"

"I'd say you were crazy. You tormented me."

"I thought I still did."

"You do." He began to feel much, _much _better about the situation. He wasn't quite sobering up yet, but talking with his wife had made all the difference. "No one challenges me or drives me crazy the way you do, Lenora. Which is why I can't lose you. I'll fight for you. I almost did tonight."

"You don't have to." She laid her head on his shoulder, finally calming down. "I told you in Paris, I told you on our wedding day, and I will tell you until I die: I am not leaving you, and I will _never _leave you." She grinned. "You're stuck with me."

Behind her smile, there was guilt. She remembered her trip to Arus, back when she learned of Sven's survival for the first time, and how she'd slept with him. She thought for sure she would leave Jon then. At the time, she didn't consider it to be cheating - in her mind, she had already broken off her engagement to the commander. Then, when she found out that Sven was married and had a child, she realized how stupid and careless she had been. She did not deserve Jon's unconditional love, but she had it anyway. And she was determined not to blow it ever again, which was why she'd said no to all of Sven's wishes. She hadn't even been swayed by the hot tub.

"Come on," she offered gently. "Let's sleep."

He nodded, the exhaustion evident on his face. "Don't leave me tonight."

"I won't." She helped ease him down underneath the comforter, then snuggled next to him. _"Je t'aime, mon coeur."_

He grinned. "I love that we're speaking in French again."

"Like we did on our honeymoon," she reminded him.

"Oh yes. How could I forget about that?" Suddenly he was on top of her, kissing her forcefully and pinning her wrists to the mattress. "How would you like to do something that we did with alarming frequency during our honeymoon, Mrs. Hawkins?"

"What, drink wine?" she teased. "I think you're drunk enough, _mon coeur_."

"Not exactly." With that, he closed his eyes and kissed her again, his hands fumbling with her pajamas.

* * *

_**Ne me quitte: **__"Don't leave me"_


	41. Don't Leave Me

_Author's Note__: Well, Hurricane Sandy didn't hit me too hard. The lights flickered a couple of times, but that's it. Otherwise, I had peanut butter, crackers, bottled water and a flashlight all at the ready. (Also wine, but that's a different story...) Thank you to everyone who's sent me their thoughts, prayers and advice. _

_To Smithy - Thanks for the advice! Gotta love living on the East Coast._

_To Sally On - EGADS indeed! I like your idea for a stylist for Allura, I might have to incorporate that in..._

_To Emie Mac - Trust me when I say I am not a SmartUser either...but I'm glad you can finally read the chapters!_

_To FroofyB - Being a recovering dental student, I WOULD know all the top-shelf liquors. They helped make for a good bachelor party, and maybe even a good wedding, too!_

_To bknbu - I love, love, LOVE Jon. I highly suggest to everybody who's reading along to check out some episodes of Vehicle Voltron (not the first episode, though, and definitely not the pilot). WEP made us all think that Jeff, Crik and Cliff were the main characters, but really, it was Hawkins. _

_**Title Song: "**__**Don't Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)" by Regina Spektor**_

* * *

When Lenora awoke in the morning, her body ached. Jon was asleep next to her, barely even shifting when she got out of bed. Completely undressed, she tip-toed her way to the bathroom. As she made use of the facilities, she remembered the last hour she'd been awake before falling asleep.

Jon had been rough with her in bed. He had never been like that before, and she wasn't ashamed to admit that she liked it. She loved being intimate with her husband, but she was paying the price for it now. Her bones and muscles ached. Even her skin ached.

As she caught a glimpse of herself in the bathroom mirror, she realized why her skin ached so much: she was covered in bruises.

For a moment, she was stunned. She examined her skin in the full-length mirror, checking out the location, size, and sheer amount of her bruises. They all seemed to be clustered on her torso, shoulders and upper arms, though there were a few on her hips and back as well. Each was faint, a pale green shade tinged with an even paler shade of purple. And each was roughly the size of her husband's fingertips.

_Maybe he was a little rougher than I thought..._

"Mmm, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my entire life."

She looked over to find Jon in the doorway, gazing at her lovingly as she stood in front of the mirror. As he gazed over her body, the expression on his face changed from adoration to horror. He saw the bruises. He realized that he'd put them there.

"Oh, God in heaven." He brought his hands to his mouth. "What did I do to you?"

"Jon, it's okay -"

"No. It's _not _okay." He looked like he might cry as he continued to study the bruises. "How could I have hurt you? I love you so much, Lenora. I can't believe I did that to you."

She placed her hands on his shoulders. "Jon, it's fine. You had just come home from the bachelor party, you'd had a little too much to drink, and you were a little rougher than normal. It's fine. _I'm _fine. And the bruises will be gone in a few days. By the time the wedding rolls around, it'll be like they were never there."

"They should never have been there in the first place." He moved back into the bedroom, where he sat down on the bed and began to pull his jeans on. He looked terribly upset and ashamed. "Maybe I was wrong about everything. Maybe you would have been better off married to Holgersson or Dalloway. _They _never would have left bruises on you."

She almost threw up. "Are you leaving me?"

He was incredibly sad. "I think so. Yes."

For the second time in the span of twelve hours, she felt like her entire world was crumbling around her. "No. You can't. You promised, Jon. You promised you would never leave me." Her heart and voice both breaking, she sat down on the bed next to him and hung onto his arm. "You told me when I became your girlfriend that you would never leave me. You told me those exact same words when I became your _wife_. For better or for worse, remember?"

He leaned over the bed and pulled her black Matinee kimono out of the top drawer of her nightstand. "Yes, but that was before I hurt you. Please put this on. I can't bear to look at those bruises. It's killing me. Oh, _mon ange_, I'm so sorry."

"Stop apologizing. I'm fine." She stood up to wrap herself in the lacy piece of Agent Provocateur lingerie. "Physically, anyway. Mentally, I just went on a head trip. Don't you _ever _threaten to leave me again, Jonathan. I can't take it. It's hard enough when you leave on the Explorer..."

It was too much. The dam broke, and Lenora collapsed into her husband's arms. It was too much. The kidnapping, the wedding planning, dealing with Sven, Jon threatening to leave her...it was overwhelming. She felt like she was drowning in a sea of chaos. Was this her punishment for that one night on Arus?

Gingerly, he held her against him, afraid of causing her more pain. "I don't know what I was thinking a few moments ago. Maybe it's because I hate myself for hurting you." He covered her face in kisses. "But I love you with everything in me, and I swear to you I'll never leave you. And I promise I'll never threaten it ever again."

"Good." She kept a tight grasp on him. "Besides, we're going back to Paris soon. I think we really need it this time."

"We _are_?"

He'd forgotten. She couldn't blame him; after all, they'd been through so much since their moments in the hangar before the Explorer took off. "Remember, you told me to book the tickets but not to buy any lingerie...?"

Suddenly smiling, he tightened his embrace around her. "I didn't think you'd actually do it, but I'm so happy you did. It'll be nice to get away from everything for a little while." He lifted an eyebrow carefully. "As long as you can forgive me for the bruises."

"If you mention one more thing about the bruises, I'm gonna put some on _you_, and we'll be even. Got it?"

"Got it." He released her from his grasp and took her face in his hands. _"Je t'aime, mon ange."_

"I know. I love you too."

* * *

Christiane lifted her eyebrows in amusement as she and Morgan stepped through the front door. The place was a mess and smelled like an ashtray. Obviously no one had thought to clean up the night before. "What's that smell?"

Morgan swore. She didn't even bother to do it under her breath. "Oh, gross. Well, _they _sure had a lot more fun last night than we did, huh, Baby Girl."

"Uh...yeah." She found the source of the stench and stepped over what looked suspiciously like a puddle of vomit on the kitchen tile. She hated to think who had spewed that mess up. She probably could have found out by touching it, but she wasn't _that _desperate to find out the answer.

Morgan looked like she wanted to knock some skulls together. "Blast it, David Nathaniel!" she cursed her husband. "You really couldn't be bothered to clean this mess up before you went to bed last night? Seven hells." As she began looking through the storage closet to find a mop and bucket, Christiane slid away and up the stairs to find her fiancé. She had something to tell him.

He was still in bed when she opened the door. He squinted in the sunlight as though she had woken him. "Hi, Baby," he mumbled as she sat down next to him on the bed. She looked around the room, which was mostly packed up and devoid of most of their belongings. "How was your night last night?"

"Not as good as yours, gauging from the puddle of vomit in the kitchen."

"Oh...I swear it wasn't mine." Jeff rubbed his eyes. "I think it might've been Zandee's. The dude never could hold his liquor."

"Ha." She nervously rubbed his arm, then inhaled sharply. "Jeff, I have to tell you something, and you're not gonna like it."

He bolted upright in bed. "Wow, what a way to start my morning." He looked near panic. "Okay, spill it. What happened?"

"Jeff, when I was kidnapped, I, uh..."

Their eyes met, and suddenly Jeff knew. He had a terrible feeling about what she would tell him, but he had to know. It would kill him not to know, and besides, he didn't want to begin their marriage with secrets. "What did Lotor do to you, Chris?"

She looked away and down at the mattress. "He raped me."

He closed his eyes, absorbing the information. It didn't hit him like a sucker punch to the gut as he thought it might. Instead, it made him feel sad. "Oh, Chris. I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me sooner? I would've been...aw, heck, I don't know. But we would've gotten through it together."

She nuzzled into his side. "At first, I just wanted to put it behind me," she murmured, burying her face in his shoulder. "It was too painful and embarrassing. But then I realized that I didn't want to keep anything from you. I'm willing to put my emotions on the line for you." She swallowed before she finished. "I was afraid you might leave me."

"What? Are you crazy?" Jeff wrapped his arms around her. "Chris, I love you. I would never leave you. And never be embarrassed about anything that Lotor did to you." His face darkened. "Does anyone else know?"

"I told Keith. I think Sven might know too, just from how I reacted on Crydor. But they're the only ones." Her turquoise eyes pleaded with him. "Don't tell Morgan. She'll go crazy."

"_I'm_ going crazy. But overall, I'm taking it better than I thought I would." He tightened his embrace around her. "I love you, Christiane Eiko. You're my whole world. I could never leave you. I don't have it in me."

"Good. Because I really thought you'd be angry at me for not saying anything earlier."

"You're a _seer_, and you thought that?

"Hey, I don't know everything."

"Do you know how Lotor had better hope I don't run into him? 'Cuz if I do, I swear I can't be held accountable for my actions. I'll kill him."

She shook her head. The miniscule scraps of Lotor she'd been seeing in her visions proved otherwise, but she wasn't about to tell him that right now. "Oh, thank God you're not leaving me. I was so scared that you'd be upset that I didn't tell you earlier. That you'd call off the wedding. But I don't want to build our life's foundation on omissions and secrets. I wanted to come clean and tell you everything before we get married."

"Good." He pressed his lips to her temple. "I feel the same way. I don't have any secrets, I promise."

"I don't have any other secrets, either."

The engaged couple laid back down on the mattress and snuggled into each other. Jeff's head began to pound, most likely from the combination of different shots he'd had at his bachelor party, and he grabbed onto Christiane as though he might float away if he didn't have her to anchor him. "I love you, Chris. Don't ever be afraid to tell me anything. I'll always take care of you and I'll always love you."

Satisfied, she nodded against his chest.

* * *

"There...your hair looks beautiful."

Romelle's tired eyes reflected back at her in the mirror. Emma had spent the morning with her, simultaneously helping her prepare for her session and play with Erik at the same time. Romelle had to admit that Bandor could not have picked a better wife if he'd tried. Emma was her best friend and, at times like this, her savior.

The young princess - technically, she was the queen of Pollux through marriage, though she would always be the crown princess of Exxus - didn't act as though she was the highest-ranked female on Pollux. She was sweet and charming, helpful and concerned. She cared about Romelle and Sven, she adored Erik, and most of all, she was deeply in love with Bandor. Queen Emmaline of Pollux was the best decision that any member of the royal house had ever made.

"I like it. You did a wonderful job, Em." Romelle turned her head to study the twist that her sister-in-law had crafted with her hair. Emma's hair was shoulder-length and brown; it was far from her crowning glory, and certainly a far cry from her sister Clarissa's mahogany mane. It was amazing that she knew how to style hair at all.

"I'm glad you like it." Emma looked proud of herself. "I thought you might want to look extra special, seeing as how you're off to see your therapist this afternoon."

They'd been seeing a lot of their marital counselor lately. Dr. Deldosa had been busy with them three times a week. She and Sven each saw him once a week for a private session, and together once a week for a joint session. She didn't mind the individual sessions; she found them to be therapeutic. It was the joint sessions that she dreaded. How helpful was it for her to hear that her husband was in love with another woman? And furthermore, how would it help him to know that she craved Erimar's touch more than she craved breathing? That the most difficult thing she'd ever done was send the prince away?

Instead of focusing on her upcoming session, she studied her hair in the mirror. Emma had done a lovely job, and in conjunction with the make-up she'd painted on, Romelle felt like a different person. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had doted on her like this. Certainly, it hadn't been Sven.

"Do you think he even loves you at all?" she whispered to her reflection.

"Of course he does," Emma answered her. Her tone was gentle and soothing, but at the same time, it wasn't a voice in denial. "I know he does. So what if he loves another woman? You love Erimar." She shook her head, but in a non-judgmental way. "The truth of your situation is that you do love each other. Maybe not as passionately as you love your, uh, objects of affection, but that doesn't mean the love's not there. It's just figuring out what kind of love you have, and then deciding how to work with it."

That sounded sensible. In fact, it was a lot better advice than she'd heard from Dr. Deldosa in a month. What would she ever do without Emma? She hoped she would never have to find out.

"I'm not leaving him," Romelle said firmly. "We have to work through this until there's nothing left. I'm not giving up on him, or us, or our family."

Emma raised her eyebrows in a hopeful manner. "Go get him, girl," she cheered, doing a little happy dance behind her. "I won't let him leave you, either. Now, go get to your appointment. You look smashing. I'll look over Erik 'til you come back."

Romelle planted a kiss on her forehead. "Thank you for everything, Emma. You know that I'll never be able to repay you for everything you've done for me."

Emma winked. "You owe me nothing. Now get to your appointment."

With a deep inhale, Romelle glanced at her reflection in the mirror. She was dressed well, her hair looked good, her make-up was expertly applied. She looked beautiful. And as she looked at the determination radiating out of her aquamarine eyes, she realized that the old Romelle was back, and would never leave again.


	42. Always On Your Side

_Author's Note__: Sorry about the late update. No, I didn't die. I had an AMAZING weekend in Vegas with my best friends, followed by a Nor'easter two days later, which left me stranded at work. Thanks to everybody who sent me a message, wondering what the heck happened to me. It's nice to know I was loved and missed!_

_To Smithy - I agree, I hope the states who got hit the hardest by Sandy will get the help they need. I'm just glad we made it through OK!_

_To Emie Mac - I LOVE how you always pick up on the minutiae. Yes, Chris has been having some visions of Lotor, but they won't be revealed until Book #3. Hang onto your hat! (And the end of this chapter is for you. I can't wait to hear what you think of it.)_

_To Sally On - There are only good things in store for Jeff & Chris! So what if they can't have kids? Just because Chris has a vision doesn't mean it necessarily comes true, sometimes it comes as a warning. (BTW, where is that Pollux story? I'm dying over here!)_

_To bknbu - The hashing for Sven and Romelle will come. I can't promise it's gonna be pretty._

_To Wade Wells - I love Jon too. And to make a pun on this chapter title, I know you've always been on his side, too. _

_**Title Song: "Always On Your Side" by Sheryl Crow ft. Sting**_

* * *

It was difficult for Keith to turn his mind off when they left Arus. There were five available Voltron pilots - Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Vince, and Daniel - which was all he really needed to worry about. He knew that he had to take his mind off the fact that pilots and lions were being shuffled around a bit, but he couldn't help his concern. He'd never have risen to his current rank if he could just turn Voltron off like a switch.

Lance in Black Lion didn't concern him. And, in all actuality, neither did Daniel in Red. Vince in Blue wasn't even that frightening, either. It was merely the fact that Keith wasn't there to oversee what was happening. He wanted to see how the different lions would react to the cadets, and how Black would feel about Lance being in the pilot's seat instead of him. Some might call it anal-retentive, or call him a control freak. But, as Keith reasoned, it was better if he knew everything that was going on.

He couldn't do that now.

"Oh my God, Earth is beautiful when you really stop to look at it," Allura murmured to her niece as they stared at the planet from the monitor. She was glad that Larmina had come along with them; she loved the idea of her niece welcoming Keith and his sister into their family. She also loved the idea that she would marry Keith one day, but she put that thought on the back burner. Now was not the time to think about that.

"It is," Larmina agreed, tapping her fingernails impatiently against the glass. "I mean, I always thought Arus was Number One in everything, but Earth's not that bad. There's a lot going on there that maybe even Arus doesn't have."

"True enough," Keith added, wrapping a strong arm around each of them. "But Earth doesn't have either of you. So I suppose I can't go back there for good."

Allura and Larmina wordlessly smiled at each other.

The rest of the descent to Earth was full of quiet excitement. Larmina was practically brimming over with enthusiasm as their space shuttle cleared the atmosphere. The North American continent was exceptionally vivid to her, its greens and browns seeming more alive simply because she was so glad to be there. Because she was so happy to be seeing old friends and meeting up with recent acquaintances.

"So...this is New York," she murmured, staring out the window as the ship approached the ground.

"Specifically, it's Garrison Island," Keith explained, placing a hand on the cadet's shoulder. "It's a small island off New York Harbor. The Space Academy is on the mainland, but the Galaxy Garrison - and therefore the Alliance headquarters - are here on the island. There's a long walkway between the two."

Larmina nodded. "Good to know."

When the shuttle finally landed, the gangplank lowered, and Keith stepped out first, holding a suitcase in his hand. Allura and Larmina followed, leaving their luggage on the ship. There were too many trunks and steamers to carry at once.

Two figures stood before them. Larmina drew in a deep breath and screeched, "LEN!"

The Space Marshal looked shocked that the cadet was there; she had only expected Allura and Keith. "Oh, my Mina!" she cried out, opening her arms to the younger princess. As the girl rushed into her arms, she continued, "I wasn't expecting you, but I'm sure glad you're here."

"Me too."

Allura cleared her throat. "Len, it's good to see you," she interrupted, breaking up their embrace for a hug of her own. "It's been such a long time. Is Morgan around too, or will she be joining us later?"

The Space Marshal raised an amused eyebrow at Keith, but said nothing. "She's teaching Advanced Navigation right now. But we're all going over to her house later tonight." She looked back at the cadet. "I don't think you'll want to stay in the private suite with your aunt and her man, Mina. I'm thinking it's best if you come stay with me."

"Ooh, I'd love that!" Larmina looked near delirium.

Keith turned his gaze away from the scene and towards Lenora's second-in-command. "Kelly Asimov," he stated simply as he took in the sight of his old friend. "It's good to see you in person, finally. I think you're the last one."

"Indeed." Kelly wrapped her arms around Keith's neck and hugged him. "It's so good to see you again, Kogane. It's been a long time."

"I know. It _has _been."

"Are you ready to see your room?" She turned her head and shot a wicked grin at Allura, her hazelnut eyes sparkling with excitement. It was good to see Keith so happy and properly moved on from his past. He was the polar opposite of Sven.

Ironically, they would be staying in the same room as the Norwegian had.

Lenora and Kelly escorted Keith and Allura to their hotel, and Kelly unlocked the door to their suite. Lenora drew in a breath as she looked at the room - it brought about too many memories of Sven and too many emotions she'd rather not dredge up. Larmina looked up at her as if she could sense what she was feeling, and Lenora gripped her hand. She and the cadet always _did _understand each other.

"This room is beautiful," Allura breathed.

It _was _a pretty room, in its shades of black, cream and slate blue; with its petal-decorated hot tub across from the king-sized bed. Kelly blinked at it, remembering how broken Sven had looked when she collected him from this same room not so long ago. It was better not to mention that right now.

Keith nodded his approval. "I like it."

Lenora exhaled, trying to push the Norwegian and their night at the Tea Room to the back of her mind. "I'll have some staff bring your luggage to the room in the next ten minutes. While they're doing that, I'll help Mina get settled in at my place." She winked. "She can help me get the terrace ready for the wedding tomorrow." Looking back over at Keith and Allura, she continued, "You'll both come over later, right? We can go over to Morgan's and David's house together."

"Of course." Allura set her emerald gaze at the Space Marshal. "I would love to see your home. And it will be good to see Morgan and David again."

"Good." She inclined her head, as did the First Officer. "I'll leave you two alone and allow you to get settled in. Your luggage will be coming along shortly." She winked at Keith. "Whenever you're ready to meet up, give me a call. I left my phone number on the nightstand."

"Great. Thanks," Keith offered. "We'll call you as soon as we're ready."

He escorted the trio out the door and locked it behind them, then turned his head back towards his girlfriend. "Wow," he told her quietly, making sure that his friends couldn't hear him out in the hallway, "I thought they would _never _leave."

"Oh?" Allura raised an eyebrow in interest. "We still have ten minutes before the luggage arrives."

"I know." Keith took his face in her hands. "There's a lot we can do in ten minutes."

"Now you're talking." She kissed him back, ready to make full use of that bed - and, later on, the hot tub, too. If the Space Marshal had set it up for them, well, she wasn't about to disappoint her and waste the opportunity.

* * *

Lotor was still screaming as Wade closed the door to the strategy room behind him, shaking his head in disappointment. The Sky Marshal found the king - title used loosely - a joke. He was nowhere near as cruel or as powerful as he used to be, the way he was before his initial defeat at the hands of Voltron.

_He used to be so much better at being a villain_, he thought with disdain. _Now he's more of a parody of what he used to be._

Disgusted, he headed for Maahox's lab. He understood the spindly occult scientist better than the king of Doom. Quite frankly, he liked him better, too. Maahox had the same devious mind and the same drive to defeat Voltron. Lotor seemed to be in it more for capturing a woman. Christiane, Allura, it didn't quite matter as long as his carnal needs were satisfied.

He didn't even look up from his experiment as Wade entered the lab. "Sky Marshal," he said simply, "I trust you have spoken to King Lotor?"

Wade scowled. "I don't know why I even bothered. Lotor is a useless wretch. If we have any chance at all of destroying Voltron, we need him to be tougher and more focused than he is right now."

An evil grin lit up Maahox's face. "And who, pray tell," he smirked, "says we need him at all?"

With those words, Wade understood. He and Maahox were on the same side. Lotor was almost an afterthought. In the end, it would boil down to Maahox against Lotor, and Wade was certain that he would side with the scientist. Maahox was the one pulling all the strings. Maahox was the one with the plans and the brains. Lotor was no more than a puppet on a string, and he was too delusional to realize it.

When Voltron finally fell, it would be at his hands, with much help from Maahox. He was sure that Lotor wouldn't be in the picture at all.

Returning the smile, Wade said simply, "So, tell me more about this Predator Robeast and your Haggarium pods."

* * *

It was like a sleepover. Jon could hear the laughter from the living room all the way up in the master bedroom. _They must be having a __really__ good time if I can hear them two floors up._

He decided to crash the party.

He hadn't gotten ready for bed yet, though he was certainly relishing the idea. It had been a long day of finalizing wedding details, followed by a family dinner at Morgan's and David's house. Morgan had made enough pasta, meatballs and salad to feed an army, while Lenora brought a loaf of crusty Italian bread and her signature Guinness cake. He was exhausted, and they all had a long day in front of them.

Long in a good sense, of course.

When he made it down the the living room, he couldn't help but laugh to himself. "If this is what you women do to make yourselves look good, I am _so _happy I'm a man."

Lenora, Larmina, and Christiane sat around the living room, each with hot rollers in their hair. The of-age women sipped from a bottle of sauvignon blanc, while the young cadet drank club soda with a dash of lavender bitters. "It's as close to a cocktail as I can give you," Lenora had told her. Christiane grew pleasantly tipsy as she watched her friend do Larmina's trial run with make-up.

Without looking up from what she was doing, his wife shot back, "Well, _I'm _pretty happy you're a man, too, _mon coeur_." Then, shooting a look back over at the bride-to-be, she sniffed, "See, this is the stuff you have to put up with when you're a married woman. I hope you know what you're in for. Remember, you can still say no tomorrow."

Christiane laughed so hard she nearly snorted.

Amused, Jon shook his head. "Don't you ladies think you need to be getting to bed soon? I mean, we _do _have a wedding to throw tomorrow." His gaze moved to the curlers in her hair. "And please tell me you're not sleeping in those, _mon ange_. I'll feel like I've got a grandmother in bed next to me."

Irritated but equally amused, she ripped a curler out of her hair and threw it at him. He caught it, smiling, before blowing her a kiss. "I'll see you upstairs. Good night, ladies. I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep well."

"Killjoy," Lenora muttered under her breath, knocking back the rest of the wine in her glass. She sat back to admire her handiwork. "Well, Mina, what do you think?"

Larmina looked at her reflection in the hand mirror. She ignored her dark strawberry-blond hair, set in rollers, and focused on her make-up instead. Lenora had worked her magic, dusting her face with a pearlescent powder and shimmery bronze blush, curling her lashes upward and sweeping them with black mascara. She was still young, only seventeen, and it would have been vulgar to paint her with too much make-up. "I think...I think I like it."

"Good. We'll do it again tomorrow, and figure out what to do with your hair. I can't wait to see your dress." She kissed the top of her head. "You go to bed now. See you tomorrow."

"Sounds good."

"And Chris...I'll see you tomorrow, too."

Christiane placed her empty wineglass down on a coffee table and embraced her friend. "Len, I can't thank you and Jon enough for everything you've done for us. It's too much. And it's better than anything I ever could have wanted."

Larmina joined in on their embrace, just because she got it, too. Sometimes, there was not enough love in the universe to go around. People fought and died. Families were forged and broken. Friendships sometimes transcended to a higher level. No matter what, love in any form was something to cling to, and having lost her own parents at too young of an age, the cadet felt like she was with peers.

With family. Finally.

* * *

"Now, tell me _that _wasn't a head trip and a half," Jeff groaned as he flopped onto his bed for the last time. It made him sad that this would be the last night he'd ever spend in the Rackens' household as someone who lived there; the last night he would call this place his home.

Morgan seemed to feel the same way.

"Yeah, tell me about it, Amigo. Rehearsal dinner with Keith and Allura here? Wow. Whoever thought my ex would be spending time in my house and making conversation with my husband like they were old friends? And that it might actually feel _normal_?"

"Exactly my thoughts, Morganza."

He hadn't expected her to spend the night, and it wasn't the first time they'd ever shared a bed. There were countless times back at the Academy, then the night before he left on the Explorer for the first time, that they'd spent the night sleeping side-by-side. But somehow he knew that this would be the last time they ever would.

David was not the jealous type of husband. He understood that Jeff - and even Keith - had been there before he ever had. He looked at Keith as the ex-boyfriend that Morgan had done stupid things with, and at Jeff as the platonic male friend who would have had his way with her a million times already if it had been meant to happen. He wasn't worried at all about his wife spending the night with her best friend.

Jeff realized that he and Morgan truly were best friends. Keith, Lenora, everyone else...they were family, and Wifey in Len's case, but not as tight as they were. He was truly grateful that his last night before becoming Christiane's husband would be spent with his best friend.

"You know what I got for us?" she asked.

"Ciroc?"

"Hey, not a bad idea." She paused. "I brought the Ciroc for the night I spent with Chris. But for you, I got something a little fancier." She pulled out a wrapped box from underneath the bed; she must have stashed in there earlier. "Go ahead. Open it."

"If this is some kinky stuff to use in the bedroom, I'm gonna beat you with it. But then again, you might like that." He ripped the paper off and gawked at the box underneath. She'd bought him a bottle of Cristal champagne.

"Shut up and open your gift. Before I take it back and drink it myself."

"Oh, Morganza..."

"Shut up, Amigo. And don't you dare cry, or else _I'll _start crying, and then I'll find something to whip you with." Her nose and forehead crinkled. "The two of us are gonna kill this bottle tonight, so we can say we had one last night together." She reached underneath the bed for some stemless champagne flutes - blast it, the woman really had thought of everything.

Jeff popped open the pricey bottle and began to pour. "To us," he toasted. "To Morganza and her Amigo. The two best friends that anybody ever could have asked for, and the friendship that everybody else wishes they had."

"Here's to that," she replied, clinking her glass against his.

He vaguely remembered killing the bottle before passing out, his best friend pressed against his body.


	43. Marry You

_Author's Note__: I am so excited for this wedding, and even more excited - as usual - to be dressing the ladies. All of the dresses are available on the ModCloth website unless otherwise noted. See if you can catch a "pattern" in the guests' dresses. Har har._

_PS: J. Crew sold out of Christiane's gown and headpiece, but if you want to see them, PM me and I'll email the entire ensemble to you._

_On Allura: __Two if by Tea Dress_

_On Larmina: __Pictures by the Pond Dress_

_On Lenora: __Vaude-Veil Nights Dress_

_On Morgan: __Tracy Reese Night of Passage Dress_

_On Kelly: __Me Oh Midas Dress_

_On Lisa: __Too Much Fun Dress in Bouquet_

_On Ginger: __The Scenery at Sunset Dress_

_On Cinda: __Change of Greenery Dress_

_On Christiane: __Maddalena Gown (J. Crew website); Crystal Headband (J. Crew website); Charlotte Olympia "Forever" Shoes (Charlotte Olympia website); Entwined Floral Pendant (Blue Nile website)_

_To Emie Mac - I am so glad you liked the Jeff/Morgan scene. I knew you would! Now, wait 'til you see the two of them together at the wedding._

_To Smithy - Bad apples always keep turning up, right? Just like this rash of storms we seem to keep having._

_To Sally On - Hooray for Crankypants! Believe me, in a couple of chapters, we'll all be saying "WHERE did this guy come from? And can he stick around?"_

_To Wade Wells - What part am I making happen: a baby for Jon & Len, or an engagement between Keith & Allura? ;)_

_**Title Song: "Marry You" by Bruno Mars**_

* * *

Lisa slid into her blue sundress, decorated with a vintage-looking white floral print, and gazed at herself in the mirror. She left her almost-black, shimmering hair hanging long and loose. Her dark eyes seemed sad, which made her cheeks seem hollow and her skin look sallow. She tucked her ruby pendant underneath the neckline, and then, changing her mind, pulled it back out.

Jeff was getting married.

She'd known this day was coming. She just hadn't realized how much it would affect her.

Lisa had always wanted to get married. A long time ago, back when she and Jeff were serious, she thought it would be to him. Then, once Wade took control of the Alliance and grounded the Explorer, things changed. She wasn't sure if a relationship ever would have worked out between them, but if it had been meant to flourish, Wade's rise to power had certainly derailed it.

Now Aidan. Aidan loved her, Aidan let her - and _wanted _her - to move in with him, but she wasn't sure that Aidan wanted to marry her. Like Ginger and Lance, he wasn't someone who believed in marriage. So what did she want more, a husband or someone who loved her unconditionally? Someone who would never leave her, regardless of whether or not they were married? And really, there was no such thing as a piece of paper that would make anyone stay.

"Geez, Lis. You look like your dog just died."

Aidan't blond head appeared in the mirror next to her, his sapphire-blue eyes meeting with her dark ones in their reflection. "Don't cry, Sweetheart," he soothed her, planting a kiss against her temple. "I know what you're going through. I know how bad it stinks."

"Yeah." She gritted her teeth together. "It's just that...why not me? Why didn't he want to marry me? Why wasn't I good enough?"

He sighed. "It's _not _that you're not good enough. Trust me, you're gonna get married eventually, Lisa. I know you will."

"How do _you _know?" she nearly snapped. Then she realized the enormity of his words. "Oh! _Oh."_

"Lis, I'm not ready," he told her simply. "Right now, I'm not good enough to be your husband. Just let me work on myself a little more, and when I'm ready, trust me, you'll be the first one to know." He grinned. "Well, maybe the second. I'll need to tell my Mate first."

She nodded. "I can wait, Aidan. I want it to be you."

"Good."

As she allowed herself to be wrapped up in his strong embrace, she realized that, yes, this was enough for now. She had really only needed reassurance that Aidan loved her enough to marry her. With her old boyfriend on the brink of becoming someone else's husband, she needed to know that someone was in it with her for the long haul, and would eventually make her his wife.

Aidan didn't lie. She knew his word was as good as it got. Suddenly, it didn't matter so much that her ex-boyfriend was getting married.

* * *

Keith paced the living room of the triplex nervously. Guests were beginning to arrive for the wedding, and Isabel from Per Se had yet to allow anyone up to the terrace. Morgan had gone to the guest room to be with Christiane, and Jeff was upstairs in the master bedroom. Cliff and Cinda, dressed in a green floral-print sundress, sat on the ivory suede sofa. Ginger, in a strapless ivory dress burnished with burgundy flowers, was at the bar, mixing up a midday gin and tonic. Unsurprisingly.

"Calm down, Kogane," David told him. "I'm just as nervous as you are, but I'm not pacing." He grinned. "And why are we even nervous? Seven hells."

"Not sure." It was true; Keith was nervous, and he didn't know why. It was as though there was something he needed to do or say, something he needed to get rid of before Jeff married his sister. Not even Allura's comforting hand on his arm could soothe him. But gods, did she look beautiful. The strappy white sundress with the full skirt and blue floral print looked incredible with her wavy blond hair and emerald eyes.

"Come on. Let's look at their pictures," she suggested, trying to take his mind off his nerves.

There were plenty of portraits hanging in the living room. The centerpiece was of a man who bore more than a passing resemblance to the commander, the name _Jacob Christopher Hawkins _etched onto a gold plate at the bottom of the painting. Keith raised an eyebrow at the outrageousness of it before moving onward. He and Allura glanced for a moment at Jon's and Lenora's wedding photo before finding themselves in front of two framed group shots.

The first one was obviously from Lenora's wedding. She stood in the center of the group in her wedding gown, one arm wrapped around Morgan, the other around Kelly. Morgan's other arm was wrapped around Jeff, who in turn had an arm wrapped around Ginger's waist. Cliff stood next to Ginger with a hand on her shoulder. Kelly, on the other side, had her other arm around Cinda, whose arm was linked with Lisa's. Aidan wrapped his arm protectively around Lisa's shoulders.

"That's a great shot," Allura remarked.

"It is," Keith agreed. But it was the other shot that made him pause.

The other shot was of the same people, of course, only they looked much younger. Morgan stood in the middle of the photo, resplendent in her own wedding gown, her black hair long and loose. She was flanked by Lenora, Aidan, Kelly and Cinda on one side, and Jeff, Lisa, Ginger and Cliff on the other. The girls all wore the same bridesmaid dress, a rose-pink knee-length swath of silk with high silver heels.

"They're floor shots," Ginger explained, coming up behind them. The drink in her hand was almost full. "We make sure we get a shot of all of us from the floor at every wedding. This one won't be any different, except you'll be in the shot too." She took a sip. "Mmm, Bombay Sapphire. How do you people drink Ciroc over Sapphire?"

"Gross, Lemon Drop."

Ginger hurled a dirty look in the direction of whoever had called her by her infamous nickname. It happened to be Kelly, standing smugly in the doorway. She wore a strapless black cocktail dress with a peplum around the waist and an allover gold-threaded flower pattern. Taye's hand rested possessively on her shoulder in preparation for a confrontation with Modoch.

Cinda laughed. "Dirty looks already, huh? Come on, Roommates, don't fight on my account. There's enough of me to go around." She linked her arms with Kelly and Ginger, being careful not to spill a drop of Ginger's drink.

David cleared his throat. "I'm going up to the master to check on Jeff. Hopefully he's not hyperventilating." He stood up from the couch and excused himself to the third floor of the triplex.

Keith nodded. "That's a good idea. I should go visit Christiane soon."

* * *

Lenora, Morgan and Larmina fawned over the bride as they did the final touch-ups on her. Christiane looked like the perfect garden-party bride. Her gown, which David generously paid for, was a strapless tea-length ivory confection with powder-blue crinoline underneath. The crinoline peeked out slightly past the hem, matching her strappy powder-blue platform heels with red hearts over her toes. She wore her glossy black hair long and loose, the waves tumbling over her porcelain shoulders, adorned only by a single headband with flower-shaped crystal accents.

"Geez. I am getting _married_," she murmured in disbelief.

"Come on, seer, you knew that already," Lenora told her cheerfully, admiring her handiwork. She wore a sleeveless knee-length wrap dress, bronze in color with a black floral-print lace overlay, her Mosaic pendant glittering around her neck. "Nothing new there."

"Yeah, we went over this last night, soon-to-be-married lady," Larmina chimed in. The cadet looked beautiful in the short baby-blue dress that the royal seamstress had chosen. She loved the train of fabric flower petals that made up the single strap across her shoulder, and she admired how it looked against her strawberry-blond waves, twisted into a simple updo. "Remember?"

Christiane grinned serenely. "I remember." She felt better after getting a clean bill of health after everything she'd been through. Now Lotor had nothing on her, nothing to drag her down with. She could put the kidnapping fiasco behind her. She was going to marry Jeff and move on with her life.

Morgan cleared her throat. "Ladies, do you mind if I have a moment with Chris?"

Lenora shot the cadet a quick glance. "Come on, Mina," she said. "Let's go to the living room and see who's here."

Larmina nodded in agreement, and they exited the room, closing the door behind them. Morgan waited for the click of the knob, then made a move for her purse. The heavy brocade of her blue-and-silver floral-patterned dress made an audible rustle as she walked.

"Morgan, whatever you do, don't make me cry. I'll die if I ruin my make-up."

"I keep telling myself the same thing." Morgan returned from her purse with a small box in her hands. "I wanted to give you this, Baby Girl. I know that it isn't much, but I haven't worn it in a long, long time, and it would be better served by you."

Christiane inhaled. "Okay." Then she opened the box.

She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't the silver pendant laying in the box, entwined in the shape of an open flower. It was simple and beautiful, still gleaming, but it hardly seemed formal enough for a wedding.

Morgan lifted the pendant out of the box. "Keith gave me this necklace for my twenty-first birthday," she explained as she clasped the chain around the bride's neck. "I think it's only fitting that you wear it today. And for the rest of your life, too."

Christiane scrunched up her face, attempting to fight off the sting in her nose that would inevitably lead to a downpour of tears. "But it was his gift to you," she countered. "And let's face it, it was probably the best gift he ever gave you."

Morgan embraced her and kissed her brow lovingly. "Baby Girl, the best thing your brother ever gave me was _you_."

At those words, there was nothing in the world that could have kept Christiane's tears in.

* * *

Isabel wandered down to the living room to find nearly all of the guests milling around, many with drink already in hand, waiting for the ceremony to begin. "The officiant will be here shortly," she announced, "and I've been instructed to let you all onto the terrace. Please follow me."

For a small wedding, it was a sizeable chunk of people. It was the entire Vehicle Voltron team along with the Explorer's bridge crew, plus the Albegas crew, plus the Space Marshal and First Officer, _plus _the representative trio from Arus. As the guests began to file up the stairs, Keith slid away until he found the guest room where his sister was waiting.

Waiting to become a married woman.

She looked over as the door opened, and Keith sucked a breath in. "Eiko-chan, you look beautiful. You are a gorgeous bride." He kissed her hand. "Jeff's lucky to have you."

Christiane smiled. "Thank you, Akira-chan. I'm glad you're here."

"Me too." He touched the entwined floral pendant around her neck. "Morgan gave this to you, right?"

"Mmm-hmm."

He nodded. "It suits you. And it suits the occasion. So, where is she now?"

"She's with Jeff. Apparently, when she got married, Jeff walked her down the aisle, so now she's returning the favor and escorting him in."

"Ah." He squeezed her hand. "And who's walking _you _down the aisle?"

"No one. Dad's gone, remember? And as much as I love David, I can't allow him to walk me down, you know what I mean?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

* * *

Lance McClain wasn't there. Because of that, Shannon didn't feel bad about slipping into the seat next to Ginger. Her gin and tonic was still more than half full, and Shannon had a bottle of Guinness in his hand. He wasn't looking to steal her away from the Red Lion pilot, but if she happened to come on to him while she was tipsy at the wedding, well, he wouldn't turn down the opportunity.

"Not good," Cliff whispered to Aidan, discreetly pointing out the Irishman's choice of seating. "Can we do something to fix that?"

"On it." Aidan caught Taye's glance, who nodded imperceptibly, then ushered Kelly and Cinda towards Ginger. Any intentions Shannon might have had were conveniently broken up before they could even take root as the trio sat down with him.

"Busted," Lisa giggled.

Allura made her way over to where Lenora, Larmina, and Jon were gathered. Seeing the commander in his black pinstriped Hugo Boss suit next to the Space Marshal made her smile. She liked the way her friend looked with her husband. _She looks better with Commander Hawkins than she does with Sven, _she thought glibly.

"Ooh, take a seat, Aunt Allura," Larmina told her. "They're walking in."

The princess left a seat open next to her for Keith. She didn't know where he was, blast it, only that he had gone to see his sister to wish her good luck before she walked down the aisle. She watched as Morgan escorted a suited-up Jeff from the master bedroom to the terrace, kissing both cheeks before leaving him with the officiant and finding her seat next to David. "Oh, he's going to miss his sister as she walks down the aisle!"

The guests rose to their feet as Christiane made her appearance, hanging on her brother's arm.

"Gods, that's beautiful," Lenora murmured. Across the aisle, Morgan sobbed into a tissue, David rubbing her back and beaming proudly as he stood behind her. Allura looked down at Larmina and smiled broadly, fighting off tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. She was so proud of Keith. He had truly come a long way since she'd first laid eyes on him.

As one Voltron captain approached the other, there was nothing that could dampen the joy. Keith brought his sister towards Jeff, and the former roommates shot each other a knowing glance as he gave Christiane away. The bride kissed her brother's cheek, hard, and looked back at him as he sat down next to Allura.

Jeff took Christiane's hand in his, and led her towards the officiant. He knew he should be paying closer attention to the words and the ceremony, but he couldn't. He was lost in his bride's turquoise eyes and the love for him radiating out of them. He was lost in the enormity of the realization that it wasn't just him anymore, there was someone else who was as equally invested in his life as he was.

As they slid their wedding bands on each other's fingers, Jeff couldn't help but eagerly kiss his new wife.

* * *

Once the photographer had finished with the posed shots, the terrace transformed into a dance floor. The flowers, the photos, the music, the open bar, the food...somehow, the quiet triplex had been turned into a reception hall.

Shannon was in the middle of the dance floor, getting his groove on after having a few too many bottles of Guinness. He danced with whatever woman came near him, the bride included, though it was obvious that he had drunken eyes only for Ginger. It made Keith laugh. Though he hadn't been in the same class with them, it was fun to watch the Irishman make a fool out of himself with the pretty Air Team member. He couldn't wait to tell Lance about it.

As he laughed at Shannon's lame advances, including one on Allura, he noticed Jeff dancing with Morgan. With a pang of sadness, he realized how close those two had once been and still were, and he regretted the fact that they weren't a tight trio anymore. Then again, he realized that things had changed for the better.

When the song ended, the music switched to something slower and more sentimental. Christiane, still resplendent even after too much dancing, drinking and kissing, extended her arm out for David. She and her surrogate father had the dance floor to themselves as their friends and family watched.

He watched Allura's emerald eyes glaze over, and she drew Larmina in close as she watched them dancing. That was his cue. Creeping towards Morgan and grabbing her elbow, he dragged her over to Jon and Lenora to map out his plan. He needed their help.

"Dude, this better be good, Kogane," Morgan hissed as she missed the second half of the dance.

"Trust me." His gaze moved back in the direction of the commander and his wife. Despite the strength of his and his team's bond to Sven, he had to admit, he liked the way Lenora looked with Jon. The two of them just looked good together. They looked right for each other. Much like him and Allura.

As though she heard his thoughts, Lenora's chocolate-brown eyes looked over to meet his. One eyebrow lifted as she noted Keith and Morgan together. "So, what is this about?" she asked teasingly, waiting for some snappy comment from either one of them in reply.

Keith coughed. "I need your help."

"Anything," Jon tossed out. He wrapped an arm around his wife. "What do you need?"

"First of all, I need to know who catered the wedding. The food was incredible."

Jon smiled proudly. "Per Se. It's my favorite restaurant in New York." He discreetly pointed out Isabel, who was still in charge of the dessert table as well as the cake cutting - and, to her chagrin, Christiane's pastry from La Bergamote. "She's the events manager there."

"Good. I'll need reservations there for Allura and me tomorrow night."

"Will do." The commander nodded easily.

"Len," Keith began again, "I need you to keep Larmina and Allura distracted tomorrow. Can you take them shopping or something? Take them to the Garrison, even. Show them the Academy. Seven hells, show her our floor and your corner room and where Lance used to keep the beanbag chair."

Lenora giggled. "I can do that."

"So what do you need _me _for?" Morgan shot out.

Keith exhaled. "I need your phone number."

"Um..." she stalled, her panic-stricken violet eyes meeting her old roommate's. "_Why _do you need my phone number?"

"I'll need a woman's opinion tomorrow. And no other woman understood my tastes the way you did, so it has to be you. Could you do that for me, Morgan? Please?"

"Hmm." She looked over her shoulder just in time to catch David twirling Christiane. She smiled. "Sure. Why not? We'll make a day of it, Kogane." She shot him a wry grin. "I just had my last date with Jeff. I guess I could have one last date with you, too."

"Good. Then it's settled. I'll call you tomorrow and I'll meet up with you." Keith set a grateful hand on Jon's shoulder. "Thank you, all of you, for your help."

"No problem. You wanna tell us what this is all about?" Lenora asked.

Keith smiled innocently. "All will be revealed tomorrow."

* * *

The last dance.

In the middle of the dance floor, Christiane wrapped her arms around Jeff, watching her left hand and the way her diamond ring twinkled in the light from the lanterns. "I love you, Mr. Aki. For now and forever."

He pressed his lips to her forehead. "Good to know, Mrs. Aki."

Ginger, not being as drunk as she normally would be at a wedding, overheard Jeff's words and grabbed Lisa. She wanted to lend her old roommate some strength after what had to have been a long and tortured day for her. Surprisingly, Lisa was in good spirits, happily wrapping her arm around Ginger's shoulder.

Seeing that his girlfriend was happy and enjoying herself, Aidan moved towards the railing with his tumbler of Johnny Walker and got a good look of Central Park.

"Ace."

He didn't need to turn his head to see who was addressing him. "Hey, Babe," he replied, taking a sip of his drink. "I haven't seen you all night. You've been too busy observing and playing hostess."

"True enough." As Lenora came up next to him, she lifted her glass of red wine. She'd made sure to stock the bar with plenty of her favorite cabernet from Hess' Allomi Vineyard. "But you know I made sure to get some vino in me."

He laughed.

She was so close to him that he could smell the wine on her breath. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she whispered, "Ace, Christiane's diamond ring is beautiful. Truly." She caught his sapphire gaze. "I want you to know, I would have been proud to wear it."

Setting his glass down on the ground, Aidan wrapped his old girlfriend up in his embrace. "Your husband was a bit of a drunken jerk that night."

"I'm well aware."

"He told me that you never would have married me." His eyes searched hers in the darkness, pleading. "Is that true?"

"I don't know, Ace," she answered honestly. "And I'm not copping out on an answer, either. Things were just...let's just say, I never expected Sven to walk out of my life, then walk back in ten years later. I never expected my mother to die, and for you to be the one who was there for me in those fragile first few hours afterwards. I never expected to become Space Marshal, then watch Charles Herbert Wade snatch the title out from under me and put a price tag on my head." She stared out into the night sky and up at the stars, much the way Sven always had. It was her defense mechanism.

"So you're saying," he concluded, "that you have no idea what the circumstances would be."

"Exactly."

"Seven hells." He picked his glass up from the ground and took a long swallow. "Hey, I just want you to know that I told Lisa that I'll marry her somewhere down the road."

Her eyes lit up. "Good for you! I'm excited."

"Yeah." He exhaled. "I figured I was ready once, I can be ready again. She's not you, but then again, she's exactly what I need. And I'm proud of her. She's doing better at Jeff's wedding than I did at yours."

"I love Lisa, Ace."

"I know. I love her, too." He swigged back the last of his scotch. "Now. Let's get back to the dance floor before the music cuts out."

That was quite possibly the best idea of the night.

Christiane gazed out at her guests one last time as the final chords wound down. Morgan. David. Taye. Aidan. Keith. Jon and Len. Allura and Larmina. Kelly and Cinda, Lisa and Ginger. Wolo, Rocky, Chip. Cliff, Modoch, Hutch, Marvin. Shannon, Zandee, Tangor, Crik. Newley. Sparks. Not just friends. _More _than friends. Blood or not, marriage bonds or not, they were all family. For better or for worse. For always.

Jeff was her always.

Pressed up against her new husband, she tilted her head upwards for one more kiss. His lips met hers, and they were vaguely aware of the crowd cheering them on. It didn't matter. That one last kiss sealed the deal.

It was their promise of forever.


	44. Turning Tables

_Author's Note__: Happy Black Friday! I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving and is enjoying the turkey coma instead of fighting the crazy crowds shopping. _

_This chapter (and the next one, too) is for all of my K/A fans out there. Thank you so much for reading!_

_Jeff's and Chris' "honeymoon" suite is based on the Cupids and Roses Room in the Silas W. Robbins bed and breakfast located in Wethersfield, CT._

_To Emie Mac - Glad you approve! I'm proud of Crankypants, too. And I have to say, ModCloth can be one heck of an expensive addiction..._

_To Smithy - So true about the knee injuries. My husband messed up his knee when he was 16 and was told that he was looking at a total knee replacement when he turned 40. Guess who's on the wrong side of 35?_

_To bknbu - I am also happy with how the Lion Force and the Vehicle Team members all get along. The old guard and the new, right? And as for a baby for Jon and Len...well, they __are__ married, right?_

_To Sally On - Don't write my boy Aidan off just yet! I have a saying: "I love bad/arrogant boys. It's so much more satisfying when I break them." Remember I said that! (PS - Thanks for the credit on the phrase "closing the deal;" you're awesome!)_

_**Title Song: "Turning Tables" by Adele**_

* * *

There hadn't been money for a honeymoon, so their friends had gifted them with two nights at a beautiful bed and breakfast near the Connecticut border. On their first morning as husband and wife, Jeff and Christiane awoke in a luxurious silk-swathed king-sized bed. They felt incredibly lucky. Not only were they married, but they had this gorgeous room to themselves for the weekend.

"You know," Jeff grumbled, "this suite is bigger than our entire apartment. It's gonna be a _huge _let-down when we go home in a couple of days."

Christiane sighed. "Yeah. Best to just enjoy it now while we can."

The mint-green room, with a ceiling painted to resemble the sky on a lightly-cloudy summer day, was decorated with fresh roses. The scent filled the air as he leaned into her for a kiss. "That's exactly what I was planning on doing, Chris."

She giggled. "Good. And how exactly do you plan on enjoying it, Mr. Aki?"

He moved to position himself over her. "Instead of telling you, Mrs. Aki, why don't I _show _you?"

"I think I'd much prefer it that way." She ruffled his black hair before kissing him again. For now, things were absolutely perfect. Everything was right with the universe. And it was about time.

* * *

Black Lion was not happy.

Since Keith and Allura left for Earth with Larmina, Lance had done what his captain had asked and piloted Black. He had to admit, it was exciting. Black was more powerful than Red, and a little tougher to control since its favored pilot wasn't in the cockpit. Trying to explain to Black that Keith wasn't even on the planet didn't help.

He shook it off. Vince and Daniel were flying remarkably well. Red seemed to have taken Daniel under his wing and was far more protective of the cadet than Black was being to him. Blue seemed to tolerate Vince; the lion seemed to know that Green had already marked that particular cadet, but didn't hold it against him. Besides, if any cadet had designs on Blue, it was definitely Larmina.

"Hey, little buddies, keep doin' what yer doin'," Hunk encouraged them, running Yellow Lion around them in circles. "Pidge and I aren't gonna shoot at you today. We just want you to get really, _really _good at flying the lions around before we start shootin'."

"Cool, thanks," Vince grunted. Blue was a little different from Green, and therefore a little tougher to maneuver than he was used to.

"You know, Hunk, I think I'm good with Red," Daniel replied. He wasn't being arrogant, he was simply enjoying how well he and the lion meshed together. "I wouldn't mind taking a few shots with you if that's okay."

"I'll see what Lance thinks." Hunk opened up a private channel to communicate with their acting captain. "Hey Lance? Is that cool? Can Danny Boy and I shoot at each other, or do you still want me to hold off?"

Lance didn't answer.

It was as if everything had stopped, time included. Lance had held conversations with Red Lion before, but he had never had a conversation with anyone else's lion. So of course Black would pick that moment to speak to him.

_Red has chosen him to be the next._

"Um...okay," Lance stuttered, gripping the controls.

_Green is unhappy that his next pilot is currently with Blue. Do not worry; Green is always unhappy. Green Lion will not be happy again until the Female pilots him._

"Dude, this is too weird for me." And yet it made sense to him. He remembered. He knew who the female in question was, and he wasn't surprised that Black was filling him in. Though he _was _surprised that Green had been unhappy the entire time. The lion seemed to like Pidge well enough.

Things continued to shock him every day.

"Uh, Lance? Yoo-hoo, Lance? You in there, Buddy?"

Hunk's words shook the trance right out of him. Suddenly, Black was silent, and the only voice he heard was that of the Yellow Lion's pilot through the intercom. He felt a sense of dread as the entirety of Black's words sunk in, not just about Green Lion, but about Red, too. He wondered if Red booting him out of the cockpit in favor of Daniel was imminent.

He'd have to ask Black about that later.

"Yeah, Hunk. Sorry about that. What did you say?"

"Do you mind if Daniel and I shoot at each other?"

Lance grinned. "If Dan-Man feels confident with the controls, then go for it."

"Cool. I'll try not to hurt your lion _too _bad."

Through the monitors, Lance watched as Yellow and Red took off to a separate area to practice. He wondered if this was how Keith felt sometimes, having to be so responsible for the safety and well-being of his entire team. Then his mind shifted back to Black's conversation. Again, he wondered how much time he had left as the pilot of Red Lion, and if he would leave to role under good circumstances.

For the first time ever, it dawned on him that his time as a Voltron pilot was limited. The countdown had begun.

* * *

Larmina's eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she took in the expanse of yoga-related clothing and items. It had been the only way to get her and Allura out shopping; Lenora had to promise a shopping trip to all of the yoga places just to convince the cadet to go. But now that she had seen the array of mats, gym bags, water bottles, yoga props, and - of course - yoga pants and tank tops, she was so glad she'd agreed to go.

Looking up at Lenora, she mouthed, "I am in heaven."

"I love this place too, Mina," she agreed, moving over to a rack to ruffle through tank tops. "Jon always laughs and says that I live in this stuff, but I think it's because he'd rather I wore, um..." She was going to say _Agent Provocateur_ before she stopped, realizing that she was speaking with a seventeen-year-old. "I think he'd rather I wore something a little dressier around the triplex."

Allura snorted.

The princess was bored. Allura wasn't one for yoga, and frankly, she didn't understand the contentment that came from bending over forwards, sideways and backwards on a mat. She'd rather fly Blue Lion, or spar with Hunk, or shoot with Lance than twist herself into the proverbial pretzel.

On the other hand, it had been a long while since she'd had the pleasure of shopping with a female around her age. It might be nice to look at jewelry, or shoes, or purses, or dresses instead. Moving over to the Space Marshal, who was now searching through an assortment of zip-up hoodies with thumbholes in the sleeves, she asked, "So, do you think we'll get to doing some more shopping today?"

Lenora winked. "As in, for all of the girlie stuff that you and I love? Of course. I've been dying to get you into a pair of Christian Louboutin or Manolo Blahnik heels, anyway."

"Now we're talking. Besides, Keith's taking me to Per Se for dinner tonight. I need to look good."

"Trust me, when I'm done with you, you're gonna look _better _than good. Keith'll have to pick his jaw up from off the floor."

Allura smiled to herself. That was exactly what she wanted. As much as she liked Morgan, she wanted Keith to have one date with her on Earth. That way, he would never remember the navigator as the only woman he'd ever loved on the planet. He would have one really good date with her that would obliterate his memories of any others.

She couldn't wait for the evening to begin.

* * *

Once their joint session with Dr. Deldosa was finished, Sven stood up from his chair and exhaled shakily. They'd had a particularly difficult session, and Romelle was starting to wonder what the point of saving their marriage was. It was quite obvious that they both wanted to be with different people.

At the same time, she understood the need they had to cling to each other. Perhaps it wasn't the healthiest thing for them, but right now, it was all they had.

Lenora had rejected Sven, and Erimar was angry with Romelle. The objects of their affection - a phrase that Emma had coined and Dr. Deldosa agreed was the perfect expression to use - were unattainable. Besides Erik, all they had left was each other. And they had a bond. Ignoring their sacred bond of marriage, they were united in the fact that they had created a child.

She wondered, was it enough?

Looking up at her husband, she recognized him cursing in his native language under his breath. Briefly, she was reminded of how Lenora had spoken to him in Norwegian, how he had thought enough to teach his girlfriend the language but not his _wife. _It was a painful thought, and she chewed on her lip to ignore the hurt.

Attempting to calm himself, Sven reached down and took her hands in his, pulling her to her feet. Romelle locked eyes with him and wondered why she couldn't look at him without feeling a mixed jumble of emotions. How long would this go on for? Would they live like this forever? Or just until they separated for good?

"Come on, Romelle. Let's go for a walk."

She nodded. She couldn't think of anything else to say.

Outside, the weather was not as bright and sunny as it normally was, but some of the gardens were sheltered in greenhouses, so that was where they decided to walk. Romelle took her husband's arm as they wandered through the endless assortment of native plants and flowers. They looked so pretty and so protected.

"We're going to get through this, Romelle." He looked over at her seriously. "I know it's bad now, but we're going to get through this, and then we'll look back at this time and laugh." He smiled wryly. "_Or_ think about how stupid we both were."

She managed a laugh. "I hope you're right, Sven." She laid her head against his shoulder and tried to conjure up the feelings she'd had for him on their wedding day. It was difficult. The past two years of her life had been in a constant state of turmoil, and her husband was at the center of the commotion. She didn't know how she would ever forgive him. And she didn't know how she would ever be able to get Erimar out of her head.

She supposed that was why they were still in counseling.

As they walked along in the silence, she came to a realization so profound she nearly choked on it. Yes, she knew he loved the Space Marshal. But it dawned on her how much he must have loved the woman if he'd been with her for five years and still loved her eleven years after he left her. She knew how passionate she was about Erimar and how strong her feelings were for him, but she had only known him for a short time. Whatever she felt for Erimar was multiplied by sixteen _years _for Sven. No wonder it was so difficult for him to move on. How could he simply let go when the woman was so ingrained in him?

She would have to be patient with him. And with herself, as well. They couldn't fix their situation overnight, but she was sure that if they worked hard enough, they would eventually get there.

* * *

When she hopped out of the cab on Madison Avenue, she knew. She knew exactly why her old boyfriend had wanted her company. She knew exactly what his intentions were. And it felt extremely awkward.

He waited for her in front of the David Yurman townhouse.

His turquoise eyes gleamed at her as she approached. "Morgan. Thank you so much for coming. You have no idea how much I needed your help with this."

She shrugged. "No problem, Akira-chan. I've got your back."

"And I've got yours." He patted the small of her back in reference to her tattoo.

"Actually, you don't anymore." She shrugged. "It's an _R _now, not a _K_."

"Oh." He looked slightly disappointed. "Well, let's go in. I think the top floor is where they keep their selection of diamonds."

"Hmph." Morgan snorted. "I've just gotta know one thing, Kogane."

"Just one?"

"Shut up." Her mouth pressed into a firm line for a moment. "I know you. I mean, I _know _you. You're not like Jon Hawkins, where you inherited a boatload of money and residences and stuff like that. How in seven hells can you afford a diamond from this place?"

He laughed. "I spoke with Coran last week - he's the royal castle diplomat and strategist on Arus - and I told him that I would be using this trip to purchase Allura's engagement ring. He was so excited that he wired money from the royal treasury into an account here in New York for me to use. It took awhile - I didn't exactly have a bank account - but we opened one up and made it work."

"Huh. Maybe you're more like Jon Hawkins than I thought."

"That wouldn't be such a bad thing." They stepped into the elevator to take them to the top floor. "The commander is a good guy. I know that Sven would kill me if he heard me say this, but I think he's the right choice for Len. They look good together, and they complement each other well enough." Then, quietly and uncomfortably, Keith added, "Sometimes it's good for us to grow up and move on."

"For some of us." Morgan grinned to herself. "You know that Ginger's still hung up on Lance, right?"

"And he's still hung up on her. Idiots." He grinned back. "And you know there's something going on between Cinda and Hunk, right?"

"Yup." The bell dinged at the top floor, and the doors opened. "Now, let's forget about those idiots for a moment and focus on the two idiots in question: you and Allura."

"That's the plan."

It was almost surreal as Keith looked through an array of diamonds with his ex-girlfriend by his side. More than once, he admired her own engagement ring, using it as a guide for what he might want to choose for the princess. Together, they decided on the DY Classic Solitaire four-prong setting with a triple-row pavé diamond band and a 2.25-carat center stone. As Morgan looked over wedding bands by herself, Keith spoke with the salesman and arranged for the wire transfer from the bank. Once the ring was paid for, the salesman wrapped it up in a black box, then placed it in a bag.

"Let's get lunch," Morgan suggested as they spilled back out onto the street. She held the shopping bag in her hand; she had a bad feeling about leaving it with Keith. "Bergdorf Goodman is just a few blocks away. They have a great little café on the seventh floor."

"But what if Len's taken the girls to shop there?" He looked panic-stricken for a moment.

"I can call her right now." She attempted to soothe him. "Besides, if I know Len, they're probably at Lululemon, checking out yoga gear. And from there, they'd either go to Neiman Marcus or Saks. But definitely not Barneys. Blech."

"You know, I am so glad I'm not a woman."

"Only a guy would say that." They trudged through the first floor to the bank of elevators, and took one to the seventh floor. Surprisingly, the café wasn't too busy, and the hostess seated them at a small table for two by the window. When the waiter came around, Morgan ordered two glasses of champagne.

"What's this for?" he asked as he picked up his flute.

She tapped her glass against his. "I'm proud of you, Akira-chan," she gushed, her violet eyes suddenly flooding with tears. "You've overcome your past and your intimacy issues. You've changed. And I couldn't be happier for you and Allura. To you. To your happiness. For always. Cheers."

Keith wiped a stray tear off her face. "You know, Morgan, I'd be lying if I said a small part of me didn't wish it was you."

"I'd be lying, too." She sniffed, then took a sip of her champagne. It was delicious, and she knew that Jon would be proud of her. "But David is my whole world, and I can see in your eyes that Allura means the same to you. So we are much better off like this, Keith. We really are."

He reached across the table for her hand, then pressed a kiss onto it. "I love you for that, Morgan Feld Rackens."

"Thanks, Akira-chan. I love you back."

Keith never thought that he would finally make amends with the woman he had hurt, but he was wrong. Sitting across the table from each other with Allura's engagement ring between them, it was the first time anything had ever been so right between the two of them. He silently toasted her with the rest of the champagne in his flute, then looked through the menu for lunch. He decided he had to eat light - after all, he still had dinner plans.


	45. Just Say Yes

_Author's Note__: K/A fans, you can thank me later._

_I am not only proud of Captain Crankypants' growth and development, but I am also proud of Allura. She has overcome so much, more than any other character in this book (be it devised by WEP, DDP or me), and I wanted to take a moment to reflect on that. Her date-night outfit is a reflection of how strong she is and how she has learned to blend Arus and Earth seamlessly._

_On Allura - Etro Border-Print Cap-Sleeve Dress and Jimmy Choo Blast Glitter Platform Cage Sandals (both on the Neiman Marcus website); DY Classic Solitaire triple-row pavé diamond band with a four-prong setting (David Yurman website)._

_To Emie Mac - Since this book is winding down, odds are good that Green still won't be happy by the end of it. But who knows what Book #3 has in store? ;)_

_To FroofyB - I adore Emma too, and I think she'll make an appearance in the last chapter. As for that ring...well, I wanted something that was fit for a princess, and I happen to be very partial to David Yurman. I hope your move went as smoothly as possible, and good luck getting settled!_

_To Smithy - I should tell you, my poor hubby had his first knee surgery at 16, his second at 26, and his third six months after that. I hope you're not in as bad shape as he is! For now, he does okay as long as he's careful to favor that knee and wear his brace. Walking around Vegas, though? Not so good._

_To Sally On - Our favorite couple is going to go through a lot more in Book #3, and some of it is not going to be happy. But for now, they're okay. As for David Yurman, well, let's just say I have an addiction to DY similar to Emie Mac's addiction to ModCloth..._

_**Title Song: "Just Say Yes" by Snow Patrol (such a good song, and very fitting for this chapter!)**_

* * *

Keith had been worrying about Allura's outfit since before they left for Per Se. Her dress was outrageously short, it wasn't formal, and it had a distracting floral print that danced down the side of her body, accentuating the curves of her bust and hips. To top it off, she was wearing indecently high Jimmy Choo heels - he wasn't sure if they were boots or sandals or _what _- but he was sure he was going to spend the entire evening worrying about her falling over and killing herself.

At least he didn't have to worry about dinner. Jon had taken care of the reservations, going so far as to recommend the Chef's Tasting Menu and even ordering the wine for them, two half-bottles of a French wine neither of them had never heard of before: Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru and Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru. "Trust me on this," he'd informed Keith with a wink. The man knew exactly what the Voltron captain was planning for the evening. "The night Lenora became my girlfriend, we killed two full bottles of the Puligny-Montrachet in Paris. If you're looking for a wine for a romantic evening, look no further." The cost per person was on the high side, but then again, Keith reasoned that a night like this one would only happen once, so why not?

"So," Allura began, sitting across the table from him, "I've had your Ciroc vodka, I've had your American wines. And I have to say, the reds from California are, on the whole, better than the whites I've tasted." She sniffed at her glass. "This wine, though, is on an entirely different level."

"True enough. I've got to give it to him, Commander Hawkins knows his stuff."

She nodded. "He does indeed. So, changing the subject, are you looking forward to going back to Arus?"

He shrugged. "I don't know," he answered honestly, tearing off a chunk of bread. Everything at Per Se was to die for. He might never eat this well again. "I miss the team, I miss Voltron, but it's nice to be on Earth. I mean, I've gotten to see my family." He smiled at the idea of his old floormates as his family. It was true; he never thought of them as simply friends. Even so many years after graduation, they were still his family. And now that he had Christiane back in his life and Jeff as his brother-in-law, his family was nearly complete. There was only one person needed to round out his family, and she was right there with him.

Allura smiled. "They're good people, Keith. All of them. And I can honestly tell you that they have all embraced me and made me feel like Larmina and I are part of the family, too. It's a nice feeling."

"Good."

The engagement ring was burning the proverbial hole in his pocket. Keith just wanted to blurt the question out and get it over with - and Per Se was a romantic enough location to get away with it - but he had other plans. Bigger. Better. More New York.

As each course was served, he grew more and more nervous. Allura looked like such a modern New Yorker with her glossy blond hair slicked back, her emerald eyes twinkling with enjoyment at each mouthful of food that she tasted or every sip of wine that went down her throat. Did he deserve her? Was he even worthy of her? Maybe he hadn't thought this out enough. Maybe it was too soon.

He could almost hear Christiane's voice in the back of his mind. _She's The One, Akira-Chan, and you've known her for eleven years. If not now, __when__?_

His sister was right.

He took another sip of wine to calm his nerves. After everything they'd been through, separately and together, Keith knew he was worthy of his princess. He knew he deserved her. He just hoped she would say yes.

* * *

Ginger, as a rule, did not believe in marriage. She did not believe that spoken words and a piece of notarized paper would make a man stay faithful, and she did not believe that there was anything wrong with a child being born out of wedlock. Perhaps not everyone shared her opinions, but it didn't change her mind about marriage.

A symbol of ownership, however, was quite a different story.

Cinda was at the gym, swimming in the Olympic-sized pool and working off the calories she'd consumed at the wedding yesterday. Which was good, because Ginger wanted to do this alone. She wanted no witnesses. She didn't want to hear the disapproval from Shannon's mouth as he desperately tried to convince her not to go ahead with it.

She had chosen the ring carefully. She didn't want it to scream "wedding band" or something equally to that effect. Yet she wanted it to be tasteful and powerfully masculine; something that could be considered a family heirloom to be passed down through generations, should they ever have children together. When she found it, she couldn't get it out of her mind. She knew.

It was a simple ring, a yellow-gold signet ring with a flat oval face. The band gleamed with a shiny finish, but the top looked made of brushed satin. She would have his monogram carved into it, _LMC _for Lance Charles McClain, and be done with it. It wasn't a wedding band, but giving it to him would signify that she wanted them to be together forever. A done deal. No marriage necessary.

It seemed fitting for the two of them.

As she approached the jeweler, her heart began to pound. It was the right thing to do - after all, no one would ever understand the two of them the way they did. Lance and Ginger just got each other. It seemed like they were made for each other. And if they still wanted and held a torch for each other after all these years, then it was the right thing to do.

Swallowing, she stepped through the doors to make the ultimate leap of faith.

* * *

Allura craned her neck to look up at the top of the building. It was so old, the Empire State Building, and yet it was remarkable in the fact that it was even still standing. But did Keith really expect her to climb to the observation deck? _Really? _Hadn't he seen her shoes?

Keith smiled as he noted the look of despair on her face. After lunch, Morgan had gone with him to the Empire State Building to purchase tickets to use after dinner. That way, they could just head straight up the elevators and bypass the line. She even paid for the tickets herself as an engagement present. He chuckled to himself at the irony of the situation; his ex-girlfriend had not only helped pick out the engagement ring for his current girlfriend, but had also chosen the exact location where he should propose to her.

A storybook tale for the ages, it wasn't.

"I already bought tickets," he informed Allura, taking her arm. "We don't have to wait in line. We can just go up the elevators to the observation deck, and then you can get a better look at Manhattan."

"But I've already seen an aerial view of New York. Remember?"

"No, _that _was Garrison Island. _This _is New York City." He grinned wryly. "Don't forget I told you that."

She smacked him playfully.

As they rode the old-fashioned elevators to the 86th floor, Keith felt his heart pounding away in his chest like it was about to go through his shirt. This was it. He was going to propose to Allura and she had no idea. But it had to be right. It had to be meaningful. He couldn't just casually drop to one knee and ask the princess of Arus the most important question he'd ever ask. It had to be perfect.

As they approached their destination, Keith's mouth dropped open. His idea wasn't going to work. At all.

The observation deck was packed. In fact, _packed _might have been too nice of a word. An ocean of people met the elevator bank, and they had to push through it to exit. No, this would never work. Even if it _hadn't _been too impersonal, the second he dropped to one knee, Keith would be run over and swallowed up by the crowd. Instead of planning her wedding, Allura would be planning his funeral.

Not exactly the way he wanted to go out.

"This is insane," Allura murmured as she fought through the crowd for a spot by the edge. "I think I like the aerial of Garrison Island better than this. Besides, this isn't even a view of the city, it's a view of people's heads."

Well. This certainly wasn't going well. Keith glanced down at his ticket and prayed for a miracle, when suddenly it appeared to him. Morgan had sprung for the exclusive tickets - not just for the observation deck, but also for the top deck on the 102nd floor. Their tickets were double the price of just the 86th floor, so the top floor would undoubtedly be quieter than this deck.

Yanking her hand, he shouted over the crowd, "Back to the elevators."

"Huh?" Allura pushed back against the crowd. If anyone stepped on her shoes, she was going to have to commit murder. Not only did the open weave offer no protection for her toes, but the material was delicate and would be destroyed, and they cost too much money to deserve that.

"Just come on."

There was a separate bank of elevators in a quieter area, one designated for the 102nd floor. This elevator was much smaller, and an operator was needed in the car at all times to pull switches. It seemed primitive, especially by current standards.

They finally breathed a sigh of relief as the doors opened.

The top floor was completely enclosed and very quiet. There were no more than a handful of people on this deck, quietly looking through the glass windows and staring out into the night. The arches and decor were amusing, resembling something he might see in the old science-fiction movies that Pidge, Chip, Hunk and Rocky used to watch every Friday night. It was perfect. It just suited them.

Allura stood by a window and placed her fingertips on the glass. "Okay, you were right," she admitted. "This is beautiful. New York City is beautiful." She flashed him a smile, then turned back to looking at the view. "It's different from Arus. It's like this city never sleeps."

"That's because it doesn't." He wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulder and stared out at the night sky with her. "I love New York, but not as much as I love you. New York is not my home anymore."

She felt her eyes filling with tears. "So you're saying that you feel like Arus is your home?"

"No. I feel like wherever you are is my home." He was achingly aware of her ring in his pocket, pressed against his thigh. "And we've been through so much together that I don't want to lose you."

"You won't."

They stared out the windows, and Keith swore the stars were glittering even more brightly than they ever had. It was a sign that he was doing the right thing. He thought of navigators every time he looked at the stars, which meant that he thought of Morgan. Morgan's stars were shining bright for him.

He wasn't sure how long they stood there, but it felt like time had stopped. Then she turned her head and broke out of his embrace. The building was old - too old, really - and something made her sneeze.

Keith used the opportunity to his advantage.

As she turned back to the window, she noticed that her boyfriend was no longer standing next to her. "Keith? Where'd you go?" Then she noticed the top of his head. He was down on one knee, looking up at her as though he was going to vomit from nervousness. Her eyes widened.

"Allura." He swallowed and pulled the ring out of his pocket. "Marry me. I'm nothing without you."

Her mouth opened to reply, but no words came out. Her eyes said more than her lips could.

"Please say yes, Allura. Please. Just say yes."

In shock, she squeaked out, "Yes."

"Thank God." He slid the ring onto her finger, then stood up to kiss her. "You had me worried for a moment."

She slid into his embrace, allowing his muscular body support her as she collapsed against him. A weight she didn't even know was on her shoulders had lifted. She didn't know she had been so desperate to marry him until just that moment. She felt him kiss the top of her head, her hair, her ears, the side of her face - everywhere. She closed her eyes against his shoulder and thanked every star overhead that he had chosen her.

She didn't want to leave the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building. It was her perfect place. And now that she was with Keith, she was home.

* * *

"I know we're supposed to be in _Savasana_, Len, but the stars are too pretty to keep my eyes closed."

Finally. The triplex was quiet, and they finally had a moment to themselves. After buying a bunch of yoga gear earlier in the day, Lenora and Larmina decided that it was only right to hold a yoga session on the terrace. It was much like practicing yoga on the balcony at the Castle of Lions - outdoors with the fresh air and solid ground beneath their mats. The only difference was the noise from the street, but then again, with the stars overhead, who cared?

Lenora sighed. "I hear you." She too looked up at the night sky. It was a gorgeous early-summer evening, and the stars _were _beautiful, but they also made her sad. Much like Keith, every time she saw the stars, she thought of navigators. Morgan and Sven.

Two people who had forged her into who she was.

She closed her eyes and encouraged the cadet to do the same. They'd missed practicing with each other. Yoga had only been the start of the bond between them, but it had been the start, and they were both grateful for that. _Savasana _- corpse pose - was the final pose in yoga and the end to every practice, and it helped to strengthen their session.

She was maybe four deep breaths into the pose when her phone rang.

"Well, I guess that's it for yoga," she muttered, rolling off the mat and moving towards her phone. "Mina, you can stay for a few more breaths."

"No way." Larmina rolled up into a seated position and clasped her arms around her shins. "Besides, look at it this way: at least your phone rang during corpse and not crow."

"True enough." She noted Keith's number lighting up on the screen, and she smiled. Had he done it? Was he possibly calling to tell her...

"Hello?"

"LEN!" She heard Allura's scream through the phone. "WE'RE ENGAGED!"

Lenora's mouth opened into an enormous grin. "Oh my God, Allura, I am _thrilled_!" she shrieked, twirling around on the terrace. "Hey, I've got Mina right here. You've got to tell her!"

Larmina raised a curious eyebrow as the Space Marshal tossed the phone at her. "Um, hello? Aunt Allura?" Her aquamarine eyes widened as she listened to her aunt rave through the phone. "No way! That is so cool! Congratulations to both of you!"

When Allura hung up the phone, Larmina merely looked over, then jumped up and ran to embrace Lenora. The two of them hugged tightly, dancing around the triplex on a gorgeous night, celebrating the fact that the princess of Arus and the Lion Voltron captain were set to tie the knot. Neither one of them could be more pleased.

It was the perfect way to end their weekend.


	46. Here With Me

_Author's Note__: Well, we've reached the final chapter in Book #2. This has been a real ride, and we've covered a lot of ground over the past six and a half months, so I'd like to thank every single one of my readers for sticking around 'til the bitter end. In particular:_

_To __**Mer3Girl**__, __**Charigul**__, and __**Pinky Starflower **__- Thank you for your support and messages. Your ideas and music choices have been represented and hopefully noted whenever they've appeared. I am grateful for all of your input!_

_To __**Craze **__and __**Smithy **__- Thanks for following along on this crazy journey. You guys are great in the fact that you didn't have to check in, but you did anyway. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that._

_To __**MSSNC**__, __**FroofyB**__, and __**bknbu **__- Having your continual support during this book has been key. I am so glad to have you onboard, I've loved hearing from you, and I hope you stick around for the next installment._

_And finally, to my girls __**Sally On**__, __**Emie Mac**__, and __**Wade Wells **__- Well, we made it through another book. Thank you so much for carrying on the tradition. Thanks for the help, the support, the messages, the ideas, the input, telling me how much you love my crazy characters, and threatening to beat me if I ever hurt Commander Hawkins (you know who you are!). I will be so sad if I don't see you for Book #3._

_Lots of love to all of you, and hopefully I'll see you again for Book #3!_

_Love, Kath_

_**Title Song: "Here With Me" by Dido**_

* * *

Lance slapped Keith on the back for what had to have been the gazillionth time since coming back from Earth. "Dude. You're the captain of the Voltron Force. You're not supposed to get married, Dummy!" A sly grin spread across his face. "Or should I say, _Crankypants_?"

It was difficult for Keith to be angry. "Hey, do you see a Crankypants here? _I _don't."

It seemed as though all of Arus was thrilled about the engagement between its princess and the captain of the Voltron Force. Nanny had wept into her handkerchief, Coran had opened a case of champagne that had been in storage from before the Zarkonian Wars, and Larmina - very surprisingly - had gone into full-on dress-finding mode. Specifically, she was looking for a dress for herself. The cadet figured that if she had to be in the bridal party, she might as well find a dress she could deal with.

It wasn't only the Arusian citizens that were happy, though. Messages had come pouring in from throughout the entire galaxy. Prince Xandre and his younger sister, Delphine, had sent their congratulations from Planet Scilos. Queen Anadora and Prince Luthcar of Planet Brann sent their regards, as did Prince Erimar of Planet Tyvel, albeit reluctantly. Queen Clarissa and Prince Stephane of Planet Exxus were pleased, and Planet Pollux - well, Allura's cousins were beside themselves at the impending nuptials.

Unsurprisingly, the leaders of the Galaxy Garrison on Earth were overjoyed as well.

There were many other planets that expressed their well-wishes to the soon-to-be queen and her royal consort. It was overwhelming. Allura didn't know if she and Nanny were up to the task of planning a wedding this big. Coran figured that they'd have at least a thousand guests, and most likely more.

"I can't believe you did it," Lance continued quietly. "I can't believe you're gettin' hitched." Then, looking back over at his friend, he asked, "Hey, you're not quitting Black Lion, are you?"

Keith shook his head. "No. I'll fly until Black tells me to stop." He looked over at Lance. He was his friend, his second-in-command, and the true owner of the beanbag chair in Jeff's quarters on the Explorer. "Allura, on the other hand...I think the transfer of Blue Lion to Larmina is coming. Of course, Allura won't give up her spot on the team right away, but I think that once we're married, it'll be a different story."

"You might be right about that." Lance shrugged, wishing to all seven hells that he had a cigarette on him. "But Larmina will be good for the team. And don't tell them I said this, but Dan-Man and Vince will be good additions as well. _If _we decide to let them on, of course."

"Of course."

Lance was desperate to talk to Keith about his conversation with Black Lion. Of course, now that Keith was engaged to be married to Allura, most of their conversations revolved around the engagement, the upcoming wedding, and Keith becoming the royal consort. Annoying - and slightly obnoxious - but the Red Lion pilot would deal. For now.

Keith cleared his throat. "So Lance, I need to ask you a question."

"Uh-oh. The last time you said that to me, you'd asked me to fly Black, then see how well Danny Boy and his henchman Vince did with Red and Blue." Perfect. That was the perfect segue into talking about Black, and how Red had already chosen Daniel as his successor.

"Yeah. This time, I'm going to ask you to do something else you're going to hate."

"Dude. Do I need a cigarette for this?"

"Most likely." Keith smiled. "Lance, I'd like for you to be my best man."

Lance almost choked on his own spit. "Dude, when you were on Earth, did you drink enough Ciroc to lose your frickin' mind? Do you realize who you're asking to be your best man? _Me! Nobody _in his right mind asks Lance McClain to be his best man." He shook his head. "Why don't you ask Sven? He's a fellow royal consort. Or how about your brother-in-law Jeff?" He began to chuckle to himself. "You know, I am _never _gonna get over the fact that your best friend at the Academy married your sister."

Keith's lips pressed into a tight smile. "Lance, I need it to be you."

The seriousness of his statement made Lance reconsider his reply. "Well, if you really need me to do it, then I'll do it. Seriously, Keith. If you need me, you know there's nothing you can ask of me that I won't do."

He smiled, relieved. "Thank you, Lance." He grinned. "Besides, I'll need you to keep me grounded when my head starts getting too big."

"Well, that I can definitely do." Again, he wished he had some cigarettes. He could toast his friend better with a cigarette than with a shot of vodka. As he moved his hip against the railing, he was vaguely aware of the satchel on his belt. He'd kept Anadora's garnet ring in there. The ring that was meant for Ginger.

Would he ever give Ginger that ring?

"So come on, Lance. I need your input on this next project." Keith turned and moved down the hallway.

"As long as it's not wedding-related."

"It's Voltron-related."

"I'm on it." Lance turned and followed his friend. For now he was still the captain of the Voltron Force. And since Ginger was still on Earth and was still a member of the Vehicle Team, there was nothing to keep him preoccupied. He might as well fight for Voltron.

While he was still Red Lion's pilot.

* * *

Hesitantly, David approached the guest room. Since Jeff and Christiane had gotten married, Morgan had thrown herself into fixing up the room that was once theirs. She'd rearranged the furniture, washed the bedding, bought new pillows, and hung up new paintings. It was like her new pet project.

"Morgan," he called softly, "are you ready to come to bed?"

"Almost." She stood back and gazed at the picture she'd just hung up on the wall. It was a photograph of her with Jeff at some formal occasion. "Hey, what do you think of this picture? Lisa took it on Senior Night. Ginger and Cinda gave me and Jeff each a copy at the wedding."

"Hmm." He studied the photo. His wife looked amazing in her one-shouldered violet dress, her hair up in a high ponytail. "You look gorgeous, as always. And Jeffrey...well, he looks so _young_." He paused. "He was really your date on Senior Night?"

Morgan snorted. "Well, it started off that way."

She sat down on the bed sadly, and David sat down next to her. "I miss them," she mourned quietly, laying her head against her husband's shoulder. "The house is too quiet without them. And it's tough to get used to my best friend not being right down the hallway." She made a face. "Now they're closer to Aidan and Lisa than they are to us."

"I know." He grabbed her chin and kissed her, and for a moment, she didn't care about the emptiness so much. "But Morgan, don't you think that maybe this happened for a reason?"

"Well, I want them to be happy." She shrugged. "But I can't think of a reason. So out with it. What are you thinking, David Nathaniel Rackens?"

He exhaled. "I was thinking that maybe it's time for us...to..."

"To _what_?"

"To have a baby."

David looked at her so seriously that it blew her away. Yes, they'd been together for ten years. But really...a _baby_? Didn't he know what a huge responsibility a baby was? And they both had jobs at the Academy, plus they were both a part of Albegas - how in seven hells would they ever be able to raise a child?

She must have looked absolutely panic-stricken, because David drew her into an embrace and murmured, "Whenever you're ready, Morgan. I love you, and I want us to have a family. But you need to be ready."

She wanted to throw up. "Well, maybe when Len and Jon decide to have kids, we can start."

He grinned sheepishly. "I hate to tell you this, but Jon and I have already had this discussion."

"You have?" She wanted to hit him. "Well, thanks for leaving me and my Wifey out of the conversation. You know, the two women who'd be pregnant with your respective children. That is, if you're lucky enough at all to knock us up."

David laughed. He let go of all of his British composure and reserve and cracked up. "I love you, Mrs. Rackens. Do you know that?"

"Some days," she retorted, "you make it really easy to forget."

He lifted her up and carried her out of the guest room and back into their bedroom. Maybe they would have a baby, maybe they wouldn't. Time would tell. But David Rackens knew that he would give up everything else - his position on Albegas, his job at the Academy, his home, even his dreams of having a baby - for Morgan. She was the love of his life.

"Let's go to bed, Mrs. Rackens."

He placed her down at the foot of their bed, and she took his face in her hands. "I love you, David."

"I know."

"So let's."

"Let's what?"

"Let's have a baby." She shrugged. "Though we can't start trying until after my birth control injection wears off. And then for another three months after that. Don't forget the warnings from the doctor about weaning off the injection."

He nodded. "I can deal with that. Now, kiss me before I go mad."

That part was easy enough to take care of.

* * *

Lisa was not happy.

For once, it had nothing to do with not being married or her old boyfriend getting married to a woman he'd dated for less than a year. It was the fact that the Explorer was leaving again, and soon she would have to get back on the ship and leave her boyfriend behind.

"I'm not looking forward to this," she groaned, snuggling into Aidan's arms. "I can't stand the thought of spending another eight weeks away from you."

"Yeah. I know." The Albegas captain nuzzled himself into her. She was so warm. So soft. He really didn't want her to leave, either. But she had to. Lisa was part of the Sea Team. An integral part of Vehicle Voltron. And there was no way she would leave without having a really, _really _good reason.

And the only really good reason she could come up with was if she was getting married. That was obviously not happening.

Not now, anyway.

"Hey, Aidan?" came the sleepy mumble.

"Yeah, Lis?"

She curled into him a little more securely. "I love you."

He kissed her head. "I know, Sweetheart. I love you too."

"You know what else I love? Being in your arms. Having you right here with me." Her last words came with a sleep-filled slur.

"You awake, Lis? Or did you fall asleep?"

Silence. There was nothing except her even breathing.

He smiled to himself in the darkness. "Someday soon, Lis," he whispered, "I'm gonna marry you."

* * *

It was getting late, and Christiane sat on the bed, watching her new husband nail a picture frame into the wall. "You can't be serious, Jeff," she laughed as she watched his haphazard attempts with a hammer. "You'll break your entire hand."

"Thanks for the encouragement, Chris."

They were both sad, but they wouldn't talk about it. The Explorer would be taking off in less than a week, effectively separating the newlyweds, and they weren't sleeping much. They were staying awake as much as possible, spending every spare moment in each other's company so they didn't waste their time together. Jeff hated the idea of returning to his post as captain of the Voltron Force. Christiane wasn't so fond of it, either.

"Well," he exhaled finally, stepping back to admire his handiwork, "at least I got the picture up."

She studied the photo for a moment. It was of Jeff and Morgan on Senior Night, and they both looked young and a whole lot drunk. "Congratulations. Do you want a medal, or a chest to pin it on?"

"Keep teasing me and see what I do to you, Mrs. Aki." He kissed the top of her head. "So tell me, how do you feel about your brother getting engaged the day after our wedding? I can't wait to hear it out of your mouth, being his sister and all."

"I think it's about time." She pulled Jeff onto the bed next to her, laughing. "I can't wait for Keith and Allura to get married. They both deserve to be happy, and they'll never be happy without each other."

"Ah. Spoken like a true seer." He sealed his lips over his wife's, pulling her tightly into his body. She was so close, and he loved her so much. Why did this have to be so difficult? Why did they have to be separated?

Maybe the commander was right. Maybe the end _was _looming for the current Explorer crew and Vehicle Team.

"What do you see for us in the future, Chris?" he murmured against her lips. He didn't mean for the two of them specifically, he meant for _all _of them. But he supposed that she knew that already.

"There's a jumble of stuff," she replied quietly. "I see gold and circles. I see babies. I see raindrops and wedding bells and fireworks and explosions. I see flashes of purple and white. I see..." she bit her lip. "I see an open casket with no body laying in it. And I'm afraid to tell you what that's about."

"Why? What does it mean?"

"It means that someone will willingly walk into his or her own death. That person will choose his fate and see it coming." She looked up at him. "I don't know who it is, but please, Jeff, promise me that it won't be you."

He knew enough to take her seriously. After her repeated vision with the purple and the icicles, he knew better than to brush off any of his wife's visions. They didn't always have to come true - at least, he hoped not - but he knew better than to ignore what she saw. "Christiane Eiko, I promise you that as long as you're my wife, I will always come home to you. If I don't, it was not because I willingly chose to. I will always pick being your husband over being a hero. Always. Remember that."

She nodded, then let him fold his arms around her. He was there with her, close and warm and comforting. And for now, that would have to be enough.

* * *

She was drowsy, safe and secure in that tiny bed that she'd loved her husband in a thousand times. Their skin was damp, their lips raw and chapped from hours of kissing like teenagers. "The air is definitely better in Paris, _mon coeur_."

Jon looked over at her. _"Si vous dites donc, mon ange," _he humored his wife.

"I _do _say so," she retorted, sitting up on her knees. She stuck her tongue out at him. "So there."

He laughed easily, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her back down to the mattress. Why was it so easy in Paris? The pied-a-terre, with its balcony and small full-sized mattress, had set the stage for their romance three years earlier. Everything just seemed better in Paris.

He was glad that they'd left New York and gone to France. They had needed to get away from everyone and everything. Paris was their city, their own little place on Earth where they could ignore their rank and responsibility and just be. They could drink wine and eat _macarons _and make love whenever they wanted.

Pausing for a moment, Lenora laid her head on his chest and listened to his steady, dependable heartbeat. As she closed her eyes, she murmured, "I'm going to fire you."

His eyes fluttered open. "Hmm?"

"I'm going to fire you as the commander of the Explorer. I don't want you to leave again, I want you here with me. You've put in enough years to retire, but you won't do it, so the only logical thing I can do as Space Marshal is fire you."

"Good luck with that." He gave an amused snort. "Don't you think that might look suspicious? Especially considering the fact that I haven't done anything wrong?" He pulled her closer to him. "Lenora, don't ever think that I want to leave you. I've told you a million times that I hate leaving you, no matter the reason. I hated it when you were my girlfriend, I hated it when you were my fiancée, and I especially hate it now that you're my wife."

Three years together, and not quite a full year of marriage, yet they'd been apart far longer than they had ever been together. Were they ever going to settle down and live a normal life? She pressed herself into his body as tightly as she could. "Please retire, Jon. Please. I'm begging you to retire."

He sighed. "Oh, _mon ange_." He kissed her forehead. "It's not that easy. You don't have anyone to replace me, and you know how thoroughly I'll scrutinize any candidates you come up with. Don't forget that I served on the Explorer under Commander Moriarty for ten years before being promoted to commander myself." He exhaled. "And _especially _don't forget that this is my uncle's ship you're referring to."

She swallowed. She always forgot that part; how Jacob Christopher Hawkins' steel mill had commissioned the S.S. Explorer. How Jon loved being on the bridge, both as a tribute to his uncle and as a way to feel the man's presence. "I'm sorry, _mon coeur_. I know how you feel about the Explorer."

"Now, that being said," he changed the subject, his eyes twinkling, "there _is _something you can do for me that will make me retire."

"Wow. I'm shocked." She ran her black fingernails over his chest, something which she knew would drive him crazy with desire. "Tell me, and I'll do it."

"Are you _sure_?"

"Of course."

"Well," he breathed, "you could make me a father."

She paused. "Jon?"

"Yes?"

"Did you just ask if we could start a family? If I would have a baby with you?"

"_Oui, Madame Hawkins."_

"I don't think speaking in French is gonna get you out of this one." She trembled as she wrapped her arms around his torso. "I know you want kids, Jon. I've known it for a long time. And yes, I do want to have kids with you. But I'm still young, and I'm barely a year into my position as Space Marshal."

"Thirty-two is not as young as twenty-two, Lenora," he reminded her gently. "And you forget that I'm forty-two. You forget that I'm ten years older than you are. I don't want to be too old to chase around after my children. I want to be able to walk my daughter down the aisle, or dance with you at our son's wedding. I'd like to hold my grandchild in my arms before I die." He looked at her pleadingly. "I'm already behind the eight ball."

Tears pricked her eyes, but she held them back. _"Je sais que," _she told him lamely.

"I know you know. So don't be afraid. Trust me." He raised an eyebrow. "As soon as you tell me you're pregnant, I'll go on my last mission and be done with it. I'll retire. I'll stick around the Garrison to help you out at the office, and I'll be home to take care of the baby. Or babies, if we decide to have more than one."

"You want to be Mr. Mom?"

"Don't knock it. It's quite a noble profession. Besides, David and I have been talking, and I think he's having this exact same conversation with Morgan, if he hasn't already." He closed his eyes again. "I would love it. I would be home with you, I'd be home with our family, you could still do your job...but you have to be ready."

"Okay." She was still trembling. "But you do realize that being a mom terrifies me, right?"

"The idea of being a parent terrifies everyone to an extent."

"My mom lost her husband when she had a teenager." She thought about her father's murder again, and how she had lost years of her life because of it. "She never thought she'd be a widow and a single mom. What if that happens to me?"

"Lenora," he whispered, "everything I do is for you. If you lose me, there's a reason for it."

"If I lose you," she choked, "I have no reason to keep going."

"You would if we had a baby."

They laid there together in silence, wrapped around each other. He had always thought that Lenora had been specially made for him; no other woman fit against him as perfectly as she did. "I'm sorry, _mon ange_. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm upset with myself." She exhaled. "I thought I'd be ready to have kids, and look at me. I'm terrified. And I love you! I _want _to have a family with you!"

He nodded against her. "So we'll just let it happen. Don't even tell me when you discontinue your birth control injection. No plans, no pressure, just let everything unfold. And whatever happens, happens."

"I can do that."

"I knew you could." He kissed her cheek. "So then, Mrs. Hawkins, we _are _in Paris, and we _are _in the same bed we slept together for the first time on..."

She flipped towards him and kissed him, hard. She was ready to let the next stage unfold. With whatever it held in store for them.

* * *

Dr. Deldosa sat across from Sven and Romelle during their joint session, but his main question was directed at the princess. "What strides do you think your chosen consort has made in regaining the trust of your people? Do you think he's doing a good job in winning over the Polluxians?"

Romelle breathed deeply. "I don't think he's doing a bad job, if that's what you're asking," she replied honestly, keeping a careful gaze on their counselor and not on her husband. "For the most part, his rages - which is what scared the Polluxians in the first place - are under control, and he hasn't lashed out in public in a very, very long time. He is an incredible father to Erik, and a trusted confidante to both Bandor _and _Emma. He is getting along in the palace just fine."

Sven held his breath and tried to pretend they weren't talking about him as though he wasn't there.

"And how do you think those actions of his are changing the way your people think about him, Princess?"

Romelle reached over and gripped her husband's hand. "If Sven is trusted and well-liked by my family, it can only help his reputation outside the palace walls."

Dr. Deldosa nodded. "I agree." He took turns looking at both Sven and Romelle, his steely gaze darting back and forth as he did. "This will be a short session today. I think it's best if you think about what was spoken here today. Let the words digest. We'll reconvene in two days and discuss the topic further, after you've both had some time to mull over Romelle's answer."

They nodded.

On leaving the counselor's office, Romelle made a point of walking back to the castle, gripping Sven's hand in a show of solidarity. This time, she would not let her people dictate her choices. She had sacrificed enough for them, and had let her marriage get this bad on account of them. She was not going to let it happen again.

Sven was quiet. He had forgotten how much he liked holding Romelle's hand as they walked through the center of town together, as if to silently tell the Polluxians that it didn't matter that he was a pilot - he was worthy of their princess. Though he wasn't sure how worthy he was of her now.

He supposed that the only opinions that mattered belonged to Romelle, Bandor, and Emma. And, when he was old enough, Erik.

"So," he mumbled to her, "how much longer do you think we'll be in counseling?"

She inclined her head. "Honestly? I don't know. There are a lot of things we need to work out, but believe it or not, I think we're actually going to work them out." She turned her aquamarine gaze to him. "There are a lot of things we've done and said to hurt each other. But there are other things we've done that weren't meant to hurt each other, but hurt all the same."

He looked confused. "Such as?"

She looked crestfallen. "It's silly, but it hurts me to know that she can speak Norwegian and I can't. And you have a special name for her. What is it? _Else...elsk..."_

"_Elskede," _he offered. "Romelle, I taught her the language because we spent a summer together in Norway when we were eighteen. She had no other choice but to learn." He looked sad for a moment. "Would it help if I called you something in Norwegian, too? Gave you a special nickname?"

"It might. Well, let's put it another way: it won't hurt."

"Fine." He smiled. _"Min kone."_

"What does that mean?"

"_My wife."_

"Oh." She squeezed his hand. "I like it. And that's something you never called her."

"No. No, I did not."

As they arrived back at the castle, they were greeted to a vision of playful turmoil. Rosalie rushed around after Bandor and Erik disapprovingly, shaking her head disgustedly the entire time. The king had lifted his nephew onto his shoulders and was twirling around with him, laughing all the while, as Emma looked on and smiled.

_She'll make a wonderful mother herself someday, _Romelle caught herself thinking.

"Ooh, come here, Erik," the queen cooed, lifting the boy off her husband's shoulders and embracing him. She covered his face in kisses, and he beamed at her, delighted. He knew how well he was loved. Emma glanced over to see Romelle and Sven, and she looked back at the boy. "Oh, look who's here! Mama and Dada!"

Erik giggled. His laugh made Romelle's heart melt. How could she and Sven not make things work after creating this special little person? From the way he looked over at her, she could tell he was thinking the exact same thing.

"Mama!" he shrieked, holding out his arms away from Emma. "Dada! I here!"

Sven laughed. It was a completely unfettered laugh; the sound of pure joy. "My boy."

"Indeed." Romelle scooped Erik out of Emma's arms and kissed him. Finally, the boy looked happy and playful. It had been a long, _long _time since he'd been like that. "Mama's missed Erik! Mama _loves_ Erik!"

It was a happy scene, and Sven finally felt like the ice in his heart was beginning to thaw.

So much had happened over the course of a few short weeks. There had been torment he'd rather not face again, arguments he was not proud of, and desperate attempts which killed him on the inside. And yet, he was stronger for all of it. And his marriage to the princess of Pollux would endure despite it.

Perhaps, for now, it would be enough.

* * *

_**To be concluded...**_

_**Watch for "In the End" to finish the SLY trilogy.**_


End file.
